Signs boost safety

Beach safety has been improved in the Shire of Manjimup with the introduction of emergency signs installed at strategic places.

The Beach Emergency Numbers system is aimed at improving emergency response times at various beach access points in the shire.

The program is a coding system with unique prefixes and has been integrated into the dispatch systems used by emergency services.

Beach Emergency Numbers provide specific location information which is vital for emergency services.

Manjimup shire president Paul Omodei encouraged beach users to become familiar with the BEN signs and take note, or a photo, of the unique code on the beach access point they use.

“In the event of an emergency, dial 000 and quote the unique code and specific location information. Where possible, the caller should wait at the beach access point until emergency service crews arrive,” he said.

BEN signs may also be used when reporting shark sightings to Water Police.

Visit sharksmart.com.au/staying-safe/beach-emergency-numbers for locations of BEN signs.