KNOLL BEACH, STUDLAND Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
Normal Operating Plan 1. Key Roles Page 3 2. Equipment required (MIN) Page 3 3. Tide Times Page 3 4. Communications Page 3 5. Reference to Swimmers Page 3 6. The Standard Race Course Page 3 7. The Alternative Race Course Page 3 8. The Swim Page 4 9. Risk Assessment Page 4 10. Safety Cover How it Works Page 5 11. Safety Cover What to do Page 5 12. Cut Off Time Page 5 13. Safety Cover Team Allocations Page 6 14. Tide Times Page 7 15. Turn Buoy Positions Page 7 Emergency Action Plan 16. Cancellation: Page 8 17. Minor Incidents Page 8 18. Major Incident Page 8 19. Emergency Action Page 8 20. Retiring Swimmers Page 8 21. Reporting Information Back to Swim Control Page 8 22. Adverse Weather Conditions Page 8 Swim Course Main Swim Course Map: Appendix 1 Alternative Swim Course Map: Appendix 2 Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 2
1. Key Roles Swim Control EDOWSC Chris Parkin VHF Radio Swim Control Safety Officers Land Based Penny Doust VHF Radio Event Safety Waterborne Louise Harrison VHF Radio Poole Legacy 2. Equipment required (MIN) 4 x safety boats 15 paddle craft 2 x foot patrols (pairs) handheld vhf radios whistles for paddlers Cold Cas Packs 2 x small f/a kits 2 x torpedo buoys small bottles of water blankets sun protection cream 3. Tide Times Poole Entrance HW=09:00 @1.9m (BST) 2 nd HW=13:00hrs@0.6m(BST) See item 14 for tidal graph for the day of the swim. 4. Communications The organisers of the event will co ordinate the event via two way radios. Solent Coastguard to be informed of number of swimmers started and number finished. The Safety Cover will be co ordinated via VHF radio as follows (Private Channel No. 1): Call Signs: Event Co ordinator Event Control VHF Handheld Event Safety Officer (Dry side) Event Safety VHF Handheld Event First Aid Cover First Aid Team VHF Handheld Safety Boat 1 Poole Lottie VHF Handheld Safety Boat 2 Safety Officer Afloat Poole Legacy VHF Handheld Safety Boat 3 Poole Apollo VHF Handheld Safety Boat 4 Branksome Arancia VHF Handheld Safety Boat 5 (Optional) Boscombe Zulu VHF Handheld All other issued radios i.e. (Kayakers / Shore Walkers) First & Last Names The waterborne Safety Officer will co ordinate the Safety Cover from RLSS Poole Lifeguard Legacy. A handheld Radio will be at the Start/Finish Area to liaise with Swim Organiser and First Aid cover. It is advisable that paddle craft have a whistle, to use in the event of an urgent request. 5. Reference to Swimmers ALL reference to SWIMMERS will be via their SWIM NUMBER and NOT by their names 6. The Standard Race Course It is a Diamond shaped course which consists of 4 turn buoys TB1,TB2,TB3,TB4. Each turn buoy is approx 500m apart, with the further seaward buoy (TB2) being 450m from shore. 7. The Alternative Race Course Should it be required (due to conditions on the day of the swim) an alternative course that sees the Diamond shape change to a Triangle shape by the removal of TB2 and shortening the distance between TB1 and TB3 by 200m. The line between the 1 st TB and the 2 nd TB should be no further than 250m from shore thus keeping all swimmer closer to shore and easier to recover should it be required. Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 3
8. The Swim The direction for the swim is CLOCKWISE and the swim distances are: STANDARD COURSE ALTERNATIVE COURSE 2 x Laps = 3.8km 2 x Laps = 3.0km 1 x Lap = 2.0km 1 x Lap = 1.5km Swimmers are to keep all the turn buoys to their right as they swim around the course. Turn Judges, if used, will be situated at each Turn Buoy (in kayaks with a different coloured bib to that of the Safety Crew) to ensure that swimmers do not cut in side them. It Is not the responsibility of the safety crew to point this out, it is the Turn Judge responsibility to spot it. Bottles of water will be with the safety ribs / paddle craft should the swimmer require a drink during the swim. Please note that all distances will be approximate on the day of the swim Larger versions of the above charts will be available on the day to set the course and for swimmers to view them. 9. Risk Assessment Please read the waterborne R/A for this event, especially regarding the safety of yourselves and the use therefore of correct protective clothing for the conditions including the use of sun screen protection. Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 4
10. Safety Cover How it Works Your role is Safety Cover, not to guide the swimmers on the course, so give them plenty of room. 1st Line of cover is provided by the paddle craft, which will be in allocated positions along the line of the course. 2nd Line of cover is provided by the safety boats with Poole Legacy being the overall co ordinator. Each Leg of the Diamond Shaped course will have a team consisting of 1 x Safety Boat and 3 or 4 paddle craft in set positions. The Helm of each Safety Boat will control their allocated team and co ordinate with the safety officer afloat in Poole Legacy. If a swimmer requires assistance for what ever reason they will raise one arm vertically in the air and attract the attention of the nearest paddler by calling/ shouting. On arrival: the paddler will assess the situation and if further assistance is required, will provide buoyant support by their craft whilst attracting the attention of their team s Safety Boat by the raising of their paddle / arm vertically. If assistance is urgently required then blow the whistle. The coxswain of the safety boat, on arrival, will then make an overall assessment of the swimmer s condition and take the appropriate action. Any action taken, regardless of what it is, must be reported to the waterborne Safety Officer on Poole Legacy. The Safety Officer will then inform the land based Safety Officer who will co ordinate as necessary with First Aid Post / Event Organisers / National Trust. If Emergency action is required the Safety Officer afloat can contact the Coastguard by VHF radio. 11. Safety Cover What to do The swim will start with all swimmers starting in one group, they will be in a tight group to start and will eventually spread themselves out into a line, or lots of smaller groups, give them plenty of room and don t get in their way. Turn Buoy 1 has the potential for getting quite busy as it is only 500m from the start so vigilance will be required. The Safety Teams will take up allocated positions prior to the start. (Coxswains: remember that there is nothing worse than the smell or the taste of engine oil /fumes whilst you are swimming so please stay well clear of the swimmers and avoid causing too much wash when you pass them.) All Safety boats are also to keep an eye out for Public Boats or Spectator Boats that may enter the swim arena and be prepared to prevent them from doing so. The Safety boats will have bottles of water in them so as to give the swimmers a drink if they require it during the swim. Unless responding to swimmer related situation safety boats or paddlers should not leave their positions as this will weaken the overall safety cover. 12. Cut Off Time We have determined that the safe maximum time to complete both the 1 lap and 2 lap courses is 120 minutes. Any swimmers still swimming at 120 minutes after the start of the swim will do so at the discretion of both the land based and waterborne Safety Officers. Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 5
13. Safety Cover Team Allocations This is an illustration of the positions of the Safety Teams and Radio Allocations. Names will be allocated nearer the event day Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 6
14. Tide Times The predicted tide times show the tide falling at 10:00hrs and start to flood at approx 11:30hrs. 15. Turn Buoy Positions Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 7
Emergency Action Plan (EAP) A. Cancellation: The safety officers, (dryside and waterborne) will have the right to either cancel the swim due to adverse weather conditions or withdraw a swimmer or swimmers from the water pending conditions and length of time the swimmer(s) have been in the water.. B. Minor Incidents If a swimmer requires assistance for what ever reason they will raise one arm vertically in the air and attract the attention of the nearest paddler by calling/ shouting. On arrival: the paddler will assess the situation and if further assistance is required, will provide buoyant support by their craft whilst attracting the attention of the nearest safety boat by the raising of their paddle / arm vertically. The coxswain of the safety boat, on arrival, will then make and overall assessment of the swimmers condition and take the appropriate action. C. Major Incident On arrival: if the paddler s assessment deems the situation urgent then the use of the whistle to attract the nearest safety boat will be required. The use of the whistle indicating urgency. On arrival: the coxswain of the safety boat can make a decision to transport the swimmer to either a foot patrol on the shoreline, place the swimmer on a Judge Boat, or take back to the Finish Line. Solent Coastguard to be informed immediately and regular updates given. D. Emergency Action In the event of an emergency and the evacuation of the water by all swimmers being initiated by the Land Based or Waterborne Safety Officers, All paddle craft will accompany the nearest swimmers to the shoreline via the shortest route and stay with them until collected by a Foot Patrol. Safety Boats are to ensure that all swimmers are accounted for & inform Swim Control of Situation Solent Coastguard to be informed immediately and regular updates given. E. Retiring Swimmers If a swimmer retires from the swim please make a note of the time of retirement and the approx distance completed, then pass their details to the Poole Legacy. Depending on the distance from the Finish Line and the condition of the swimmer, the swimmer may be accompanied directly to the shoreline and placed in the care of a Lifeguard on foot patrol. F. Reporting Information Back to Swim Control Any action taken, regardless of what it is, must be reported to the waterborne Safety Officer on Poole Legacy. The Safety Officer will then inform the swim Organisers / First Aid cover. G. Adverse Weather Conditions The First Aid Post will have multiple cold cas packs, and each Safety Boat will be issued with 1 cold cas pack. These packs are to be used in the event of handling a cold casualty to keep then warm. Apply the blanket first followed by the survival bag to keep the wind and or rain off. When the casualty is transferred to the First Aid post a replacement cold cas pack will be given to the safety rib for the next cold casualty. In the event of a very cold casualty the First Aider will extract the casualty to a suitable warm location that can contain a heat source to help warm them up. Silver reflective blankets are not to be used as these will reflect the cold back into the body. Prepared by RLSS POOLE LIFEGUARD 30/04/2016 V5 Page 8
S E A H O R S E S W I M 3rd J U L Y 2 0 1 6 SWIM 2016 BUOY 1 START/ FINISH BUOY 4 BUOY 2 BUOY 3 Swim Reg National Trust Café and Car Park The above plotted course provides the following: 3.8 km course = 2 laps 2.0 km course = 1 lap BUOY 1 50⁰ 39.603 N 001⁰ 56.888 W BUOY 2 50⁰ 39.337 N 001⁰ 56.773 W BUOY 3 50⁰ 39.146 N 001⁰ 56.934 W BUOY 4 50⁰ 39.337 N 001⁰ 57.052 W Note: Swimmers MUST pass round the turn buoys keeping the buoys on their right.
S E A H O R S E S W I M 03 rd J U L Y 2 0 1 6 (ALTERNATIVE COURSE) SWIM 2016 BUOY 1 START/ FINISH BUOY 4 BUOY 2 BUOY 3 Swim Reg National Trust Café and Car Park The above plotted course provides the following: 3.0 km course = 2 laps 1.5 km course = 1 lap BUOY 1 50⁰ 39.493 N 001⁰ 56.901 W BUOY 2 50⁰ 39.337 N 001⁰ 56.913 W BUOY 3 50⁰ 39.146 N 001⁰ 56.934 W BUOY 4 50⁰ 39.337 N 001⁰ 57.052 W Note: Swimmers MUST pass round the turn buoys keeping the buoys on their right.