TAX payers have been slugged about $9000 for an unnecessary search-and-rescue mission after an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was activated at Thompson's Beach, Victoria Point.
Five crewmen aboard a state-owned Rescue 500 helicopter spent 80 minutes airborne searching the Redland Bay and Victoria Point coastline Monday night for what they thought was a person in distress.
It turned out the EPIRB was either activated maliciously or simply left in an abandoned boat, triggering an alarm as its battery ran down.
An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman confirmed the EPIRB was traced to an abandoned boat about 400m east of the Moogurrapum Creek inlet at Victoria Point.
The distress beacon, which was triggered about 6.45pm, has since been switched off.
While police investigations continue into how the EPIRB was activated, a Victoria Point resident believes it could have been malicious.
Scott McCaskill, who was taking a foreshore walk shortly before he saw the Rescue 500 helicopter start searching the area, said he witnessed what he thought was suspicious behaviour.
He said the moored boat was accessible by foot at low-tide.
“People were wandering around with torches as we were walking,” he said. “I just thought they were going for yabbies.”
An EPIRB is a buoyant electronic device that helps rescue authorities to locate people in life threatening situations.
They are a safety requirement for boats travelling more than two nautical miles from the coast and can also be used by aircraft and those travelling on land in place of other location transmitters.
An EPIRB is triggered either when a switch is pulled purposefully or when it is knocked, when it is partially submerged in water, when it is exposed to magnetic forces from microphones or radio speakers, or when it is in disrepair and the batteries begin to die.
The activation of an EPIRB, registered to its owner, is a last resort for those in life-threatening situations to seek assistance if attempts via phone or radio cannot be made and every activation must be responded to by search-and-rescue authorities, unless an accidental trigger notification is received by the Rescue Coordination Centre.
With the Rescue 500 helicopter dispatched about once-a-month for false EPIRB activations, base manager of Archerfield air unit and senior pilot Mark Kempton has has urged EPIRB owners to make sure their devices are in good working order.
While beacons are not often maliciously activated, Mr Kempton said older style EPIRBS in need of maintenance, or those incorrectly disposed of without being deactivated, often triggered themselves.
With search-and-rescue missions warranted in these situations, Mr Kempton said the $7000-an-hour cost to dispatch a Rescue 500 helicopter, which included return travel back to base with a pilot, emergency doctor, intensive care paramedic, winch officer and rescue crewman aboard, was a waste of money which took resources away from legitimate alerts.
"It doesn't do anyone any favours," he said. “It certainly takes away from any other emergency missions.”
Mr Kempton said older style EPIRPS often emitted distorted location information, which was tricky to pin-point and made more difficult if the signals, not aimed towards the sky, were bounced off surfaces.
While a general direction was received, the search area did not become clearer until the helicopter was closer to it's target.
“We don’t know if it (the EPIRB) is in a (rubbish) tip or if someone is in an upturned boat,” he said.
Mr Kempton said unnecessary call-outs could be prevented if owner's maintained their EPIRB devices and disposed of their deactivated beacons properly.
People should not throw out old EPIRBs.
To dispose of your EPIRB, which needs to be deactivated, consult with the manufacturer's instructions, take it back to the seller or seek advice from your local battery store on whether beacon disposal is a service offered. For more, visit beacons.amsa.gov.au.
Rescue 500 is a Qld Government operated search-and-rescue service. For more, visit facebook.com/rescue500queensland.
In case of accidental activations, ring the Rescue Coordination Centre Australia on 1800 641 792.
