Waipū Cove Emergency Callout Squad joint co-ordinator Kath Manning is proud of their team's achievements. Photo / File
Waipū Cove Emergency Callout Squad joint co-ordinator Kath Manning is proud of their team's achievements. Photo / File
Waipū Cove's volunteer lifeguards are buzzing after being named Emergency Callout Squad of the year for the Northern Region.
Club captain and the ECOS' joint co-ordinator Kath Manning said their squad of 15 – that includes four Waipū campground staff members who are not lifeguards - was very proud to receive recognition for their hard work over the season.
"When you see the relief on the people you help it is hugely rewarding. That's why we do it, to help people when they need it most."
Manning co-ordinates the squad alongside Rick Stolwerk.
Northland has six Emergency Callout Squads (ECOS) with Baylys Beach near Dargaville establishing a squad in time for Easter Weekend.
ECOS service the region for all surf lifesaving related callout operations, including search and rescue missions, out of patrol hours and even at unpatrolled beaches. Squad members are volunteers hand-picked due to their advanced surf life-saving skills.
Northern Region Surf Lifesaving commended Waipū Cove ECOS for its organisational and administrative excellence, as well as the major steps taken to improve its search and rescue response.
Two major call-outs the squad executed like clockwork included the rescue of a kayaker during the second Covid-19 lockdown in August last year.
Police received a report of a kayaker in distress around 1km off the Waipū River mouth. Police alerted Waipū ECOS, who responded in full PPE.
Jaine Curran of Waipū Cove Emergency Callout Squad performs the role of incident controller, with Tania Ahrens of Ruakākā, during a Search and Rescue training exercise last year.
They located the kayak vertical in the water, potentially caused by a missing bung, alongside the kayaker, who was hauled into the boat and later treated for hypothermia.
The second incident was in October when a man was spotted unconscious and face down in the Waipū Estuary after falling down a rock face.
Within 10 minutes the squad was at the man's side, shortly after he had regained consciousness and been brought ashore.
Members of the Waipū Cove ECOS were aged from as young as 20 up to 65 years old, Manning said.
They fulfil a variety of roles in an emergency - such as opening up the club and preparing the gear, as spotters who keep an eye on patients and provide updates, in-water members are qualified in rock rescues and body recoveries.
The region's squads have had a busy season as they responded to 33 call-outs and were actively involved in 20 of these incidents.
Far North ECOS saved the lives of two men and six dogs when they rescued them from a tractor during the floods this summer.
Whangārei Heads ECOS saved nine lives and recovered three bodies from separate incidents in the area - a male diver in Urquharts Bay, and two men - one at McLeod Bay and another at Ocean Beach.
In Mangawhai Heads, ECOS saved six lives - four rock fishers trapped by rising tides and two girls swept into a deep inshore hole.
