newy.com.au – Lake Macquarie lifeguards are adding electronic tourniquets to their first aid equipment to help control severe limb bleeding as patrols return to four beaches on Saturday.
Council lifeguards will patrol Blacksmiths, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves and Redhead beaches until the Anzac Day long weekend in April 2027. The council expects more than one million beach visits during the season, with large crowds anticipated over the spring school holidays.
Lake Macquarie City Council says its patrolled beaches will be among the first in Australia to deploy the devices, known as TAK710s. It says they can be applied in 10 seconds with one hand and used in wet and slippery conditions, including over a wetsuit.
Dr Adrian Cohen, a former Westpac Rescue Helicopter emergency doctor, said conventional tourniquets could be slow and complicated to apply in emergencies. He also raised concerns about them loosening when a patient was moved and the difficulty of confirming whether they were stopping arterial bleeding.
He said the TAK710 design addressed difficulties encountered during beach rescues, remote trauma care and other demanding situations.
The equipment is being introduced as lifeguards complete training for the 2026-27 season, practising challenging rescues and jet-ski manoeuvres while refining their first aid skills and response times.
Team leader beach lifeguards Hayden Copping said the preparations had included joint training with the Department of Primary Industries and Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
“We have a proud tradition of keeping our beaches safe, and we are constantly looking at ways to improve our operations and the inventory we call upon to save lives,” he said.
Mr Copping said the warm start to spring was expected to bring large crowds to the coast during the two-week school holiday period. He urged beachgoers to follow basic safety advice despite the additional equipment and training.
“As always, we’re urging everyone to swim inside the red and yellow flags, take note of any warning signs on the beach and always listen to the instructions of our lifeguards,” he said.
