3. My Patrols
The Patrol Functions allows authorised members to:
Sign on, update status, and sign off on their patrol/lifeguard service/Support Service.
Update patrol rosters/members
Update Patrol Statistics
Record patrol and location-based information such as your patrol's location, beach hazards, and rescue locations
3.1 Signing On Patrol and Updating Status
Select the ‘Patrols’ icon and then select the flag icon, which will display as ‘Off’ for the patrol that you wish to sign on.
Selecting the Patrol Flag will take you to the Patrol Status screen. Use the arrow key at the top of the screen (next to Patrol Status) to return to the main menu.
The Patrol Status screen displays and there are compulsory fields that must be completed. Use the drop-downs to access a list of options for each strength/status. The app will also display the number of patrolling members rostered to the patrol. Users can adjust this number to reflect the number of patrolling members currently on patrol at sign-on.
The app will ask you for the current beach attendance at sign-on and the patrol location. The patrol location can be added by clicking on the “Patrol Location – No location’ field box. A map of your current location will load and you can pinpoint your patrols current location. Click ‘Select’ once you have marked your location.
A photo of the beach can be uploaded by clicking on the camera icon, any additional notes can be added.
Once all compulsory fields have been completed, select ‘Sign On’
A pop-up will display asking you to confirm you want to sign the service on. To return to the main menu, click on the arrow located at the top of screen.
Updating Patrol Status During Patrol
Select the Patrol flag icon down the bottom of the page.
Select the Patrol flag which will be displayed as ‘On’ (for the patrol that you wish to update), and you will be directed to the Patrol Status menu.
Amend the Patrol Status sections as required.
To view a quick instructional video outlining this process, see below:
3.2 Patrol Statistics
Within the My Patrol Section, users are requested to set a minimum subset of patrol statistics. These stats are compulsory when signing on/off a patrol, such as Weather Condition,s and these are indicated to the user in the statistic screen. Users can update a wide variety of patrol statistics as they occur during the patrol.
Weather Conditions stats are required to be completed at the ‘Start, Middle, and Finish’ of each patrol. Statistics include:
Weather Conditions – data can be pre-filled in some fields using the feed from BOM for the given beach.
NOTE: Clicking on the red ‘Auto’ button will prefill this information.
Real-time Hazards
Other – number of incidents
Beach Closure Reason
Beach Attendance
Rescues
First Aid Summary
Preventative Actions
Gear & Equipment
Once you have opened your patrol, click on the Stats icon (third on the patrol status menu tab) to access the Patrol Statistics.
To view a quick instructional video outlining this process, see below:
3.3 Patrol Rosters
Accessing the Patrol Roster and Marking Attendance
Select the ‘Patrol’ button located at the bottom of the page.
Select the Roster that will display the number of people rostered in the patrol.
The roster has a checkbox next to each member who is rostered on the patrol.
Tick to indicate that a person is attending patrol, as each member will be set as unchecked by default.
Adding Additional Members and Updating Information
Additional members can be added to the patrol by clicking on the red ‘Add Position’ button.
If a member is left as unchecked, then they will display as a ‘no-show’ in the patrol log in SurfGuard.
Members on patrol can be updated and have their information changed accordingly to account for Volunteer Patrols, Substitutions, Not Rostered/Excused, arriving late, or leaving early. This can be done by clicking on a patrol member’s ‘Edit’ button.
Authorised users can update patrolling members' starting and finishing times, and indicate substitution requirements.
Adding a Visitor to a Patrol
Visitors from other clubs/lifeguards can be added by using the ‘Add Position’ button. Type in the Visitors name and select save once required fields have been filled in.
To view a quick instructional video outlining this process, click below:
3.4 Patrol Locations
A new tab to view any location-based information on your patrol, such as:
Patrol locations
Beach Photos
Hazards
Rescue
Location-based information will show in this tab as soon as they are added into the app. For example, when you add a new rescue and specify it’s location, this will appear. All location-based data will be available in real-time for your Surfcom operations centre to see.
Public information such as patrol location, photos of the conditions and hazards (NOT Rescues) will be shown on the Beachsafe Website for your beach.
3.5 Signing Off – Patrol Status
Sign Off can only be done 1 hour prior to the end of the patrol. A reminder to sign off will pop up 30 minutes prior to the end of patrol.
A ‘sign off checklist’ is provided to indicate to the user that they have updated the required roster and statistic data as required.
When a user selects the ‘Sign off’ button, it asks, ‘are you sure you want to sign off?’ If they select yes, then this is updated in Surfcom, and the application displays a confirmation page and the sign off time. All data is marked as ‘submitted’ and can be viewed but no longer edited.
The Patrol Log is created in Surfguard, containing the member’s roster information and statistics. At this time, an email confirmation is sent to the Patrol Captain/Vice Captain (or other positions as designated by each state centre) containing a link to the PDF version of the Patrol log. This enables the Patrol Captain/Vice Captain to check that all the data entered into the log is correct. If the data is not correct, the Patrol Captain will be required to contact the Club Administrator.
To view a quick instructional video outlining this process, see below:
3.6 Shift Change / Patrol Handover
Wait until the previous patrol has been signed off, before you sign on. In the meantime, you can still update the ‘People’ and ‘Stats’ tabs above for your patrol.
Return to the patrol screen, select the above/previous patrol, and use the ‘Sign Off’ button to sign off the patrol.
Note: Ensure you check with the Patrol Captain of that team first.
Radio Surfcom and ask them to sign off on the previous patrol
Note: This should be used as a last resort, as no Stats or Roster information will be recorded in SurfGuard.
To view a quick instructional video outlining this process, see below:
3.7 Viewing Archived Data
To view the archived patrol data, access the patrols section and make sure ‘Archived’ is selected. Click on any of the Submitted data to view the archived data.
3.8 FAQ’s
How Can I Access the Operations App?
An internet connection is required to use the App. Download the App on your own smart device from the App or GooglePlay Store. You can also access it on your computer, tablet, or phone https://operations.sls.com.au. A poor internet connection will cause speed issues when using the App..
Who Can Use the App?
All members can use their SLS Hub login to access the Operations App, however, only certain patrol positions have full edit access to the App. If you are in the position of Patrol Captain or Vice-Captain, you have full edit access to all patrols at your club. If you are the Patrol Application Captain (NSW Clubs Only) or a similar name in other States, you have full access ONLY for the patrol you are rostered for at the club.
Sign On & Sign Off Procedures For Morning & Afternoon Patrols
If you have an AM patrol and a PM patrol, the AM patrol MUST sign on and off, and then the PM patrol MUST sign on and off.
If the AM patrol forgets to sign off, the PM patrol can do a forced sign off in the App however, this will stop the patrol log from being created in Surfguard.
Please DO NOT let Surfcom sign you off if you have signed on with the App. If Surfcom does sign off the patrol, the log does not automatically get created in Surfguard. The log does stay in the App, but you then have to manually enter the information from the App to the Surfguard patrol log.
How Do I Access Data from Previous Patrols?
Login to the App and click the Flag symbol at the bottom of the screen, and click Archived. You can then arrow back to previous months of patrol logs.