Summer sun and beach safety

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GEORGE NEWS & VIDEO - George Municipality welcomes visitors and residents alike to all of our beaches – today’s excellent weather will ensure that all beaches are busy.

A daily Festive Monitoring Committee meeting is held to assess available resources, identify possible risks and to put in place action plans to address these risks so as not to impact on our holidaymakers.

Our goal is to ensure consistent service delivery during this busy period and to keep George running as efficiently as possible.

Planning today during the daily meeting included dispatching the Disaster Services Mobile Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to act as a mini crisis command centre for the beach areas given how busy they are expected to be.

The mobile Joc, a Type-3 mobile command unit is equipped with technology that provides online, real-time information and footage to decisionmakers that support and finance the work on the ground.

The unit can be set up almost anywhere in a short timeframe. It is the first of its kind in the country with a super-high roof to allow for standing room and additional above-counter space.

The technology on-board includes two computerised workstations, radio frequency transceivers and internet access, an electric generator and solar panels, and a fixed camera with live footage capability to allow remote monitoring.

It can operate in an environment with little or no basic facilities, including no electrical service and phone lines, and has own power generation capacity to operate independently for at least three days.

The public are reminded that lifeguards are on duty at Gwaiing Beach, Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay, Wilderness Leentjiesklip, Steps, lagoon and Wilderness Salina’s on a full-time daily basis until 31 January 2023.

They are at beaches in the George municipal area from 07:00 to 19:00 every day, including weekends and public holidays.

Please only swim between the flags where lifeguards are on duty.

VIDEO: Safety on our beaches

Wilderness – No swimming under the bridges, in the Mouth of the river due to dangerous currents and deep slopes, left of the Main Beach, at Kleinkrantz due to no lifeguards present.

Public swimming pools in Conville and Uniondale are open.