BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE EOC

We find out more about the passionate individuals who are on duty 24/7 to take your emergency calls. By Wendy Maritz

Strand on the outskirts of Cape Town is one of the city’s most popular beaches. During the summer months, it draws throngs of visitors and locals alike, out to enjoy a day of swimming and fun. Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) camera operator Lezhae Snyders knows the beach well. It’s one of six in the Western Cape and Garden Route where beach safety cameras have been installed to offer a greater view of the swimming area and beach. Their location, usually on buildings or homes with high vantage points, allows camera operators to identify rip currents, for example, and to see when swimmers and other water users might get into difficulty. On 7 January, Lezhae was monitoring the Strand camera when she saw a youngster being pulled out to sea by a flash rip. Lezhae asked her EOC colleague Grant Grove to contact the Strand lifeguards while she continued to monitor the camera. ‘It was very tense but fantastic to see how fast the lifeguards reacted and rescued the child,’ Lezhae recounts.

And normally that would be that! But not long after this particular rescue, the EOC received a surprise visit from the little boy, Matthew, and his parents. ‘Matthew’s mother and father brought him to the EOC and I showed them the camera system that we use and how it works. It was an emotional meeting, as his mother, Karin, told us that the day before was his 10th birthday. And they could not have imagined what might have happened if it had not been spotted that he was in difficulty.’

Jason Samuels, Randall Cupido and Grant Grove.

STAY CALM, ACT QUICKLY

The EOC currently comprises a team of seven operators from different backgrounds, with each bringing something special to the group. Grant joined NSRI as a volunteer crew member in 2016 and then started at the EOC in March 2021. Being a sea-going crew member of Station 10 (Simon’s Town), Grant knows full well how vital support is to crew on a rescue callout. ‘One of the most important aspects of the job is to support the volunteers out there who need someone to watch over them. And sitting here in the office, I can be part of operations all over the country, which is awesome. It really is a big deal for me to work for the NSRI and save lives,’ he says.

Denver Jordaan, who has been with the EOC team since its inception, agrees that being part of the bigger machine whose mandate is to save lives is an incredible experience. He regards his colleagues as amazing. ‘We’re a family, with one goal: saving lives at sea, rivers and dams,’ he says. Denver was a fire fighter with the City of Cape Town and has been volunteering as a medic and fire fighter for Disaster Risk Management for the past 10 years, so saving lives is in his DNA. He knows how important it is to stay calm but act quickly, especially when the voice on the other end of the line is a panicked one. ‘We need to reassure people help is on the way,’ he says. Denver recalls an incident of a drowning in progress involving a 14-year-old girl at an unlifeguarded beach. ‘Jason Samuels and I worked quickly. We knew Stewart Seini [NSRI’s Lifeguard Operations Manager] was in the vicinity, so we mobilised him to assist and the teenager was rescued successfully.’

Jason Samuels

All Bases Covered

Whether the response involves one or two calls or as many as 10, the EOC team is trained to handle situations ranging from drownings in progress to vessels taking on water on the high seas in the middle of the night. Training covers technical systems, navigation, first aid, radio operations, how to take an emergency call, rescue systems and running drills of various emergency rescue situations. The team visits NSRI stations from time to time and has visited the Airforce, spent time at the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), Cape Town Port Control and Telkom Marine Services, and understands the roles these entities play in large-scale rescue operations.

Jason, a former volunteer crew member, joined the team in July 2021 and is familiar with the intricacies of rescue ops and how overwhelming they can get, especially if conditions escalate. ‘A minute is a fine line between success and despair and grief,’ he says. ‘Operations can involve multiple stations, services and sometimes casualties. You need to know your stuff and keep focused on what each one needs.’ His practical crewmanship comes in handy, he says, but besides that, being positive, staying professional and having a measure of critical thinking are invaluable attributes for this kind of job. Jason was involved in the search for a solo sailor that involved multiple resources. The sailor, an amputee, had set off in stormy seas without alerting anyone (‘like a true pirate’) on what was assumed to be a voyage home to Mossel Bay, where his anxious wife was waiting for him. He passed away on his yacht, which was eventually spotted by a tanker that alerted authorities and Air Sea Rescue was activated. The yacht and her skipper succumbed to the ocean near Still Bay. (Ironically, Jason notes, those same waters had taken several fishing vessels, which prompted Patti Price to begin her campaign to the government in the late 1960s that initiated the rescue service 
that is today the NSRI.)

EOC Operators Denver Jordaan, Rizia Khan and Sivuyile Ruka.

Team Spirit

It’s true that there often is a lot going on at the EOC. Current shift supervisor Rizia Khan explains that the centre operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and is run in shifts. Over weekends and public holidays they have two operators on shift during the day and one at night, and during the week one operator is on duty. ‘We don’t only attend to sea- or shore-based calls, we also get calls for land-based emergencies. So then we need assistance from other emergency services,’ she explains. When asked what a typical day is like working there, she replies that there is no such thing. ‘NSRI has 50 stations throughout South Africa that respond and assist in emergency situations. Our day comprises training incidents, callouts, event standby and admin. We can have them all running simultaneously, and when this happens one must be calm and keep your head. On average I have been on shift where I dealt with a total of 11 operations within my 12-hour shift, which is quite a busy day,’ she shares.

For Rizia, making a difference in someone’s life or playing a role in saving a life makes the job so fulfilling. The 
addition of cameras has brought a new dimension in that operators are able to see rescues unfold.

Lezhae Snyders with the Koopman family: Karin and Noel, Grant and Matthew (right).

‘It’s remarkable to experience this, because I’ve always been on the other side when an operation takes place – but having live visuals makes it all much more real. The live camera system has assisted us remarkably in callouts,’ she shares.

Sivuyile Ruka agrees that every day offers something different and new. Sivu worked for the Department of Health’s ambulance dispatch centre. That experience taught him a great deal about handling an emergency and traumatic events and situations. ‘But,’ he smiles, ‘the NSRI is a different beast and, honestly, a calm day can change in the blink of an eye. But it’s good that there is unwavering support from management, who will come and assist us at any time.’

Sivu was on duty during a multi-resource callout for a yacht that was taking part in a race from Durban to East London. ‘She was taking on water and we had to call on numerous resources to assist. A helicopter with rescue swimmers had to 
be organised from Cape Town to assist Station 7 (East London) in atrocious weather. It was gruelling for everyone but all lives on board the yacht were saved.’

Sivu attributes the EOC’s successes to teamwork. ‘It’s impossible to single out anyone,’ he says. ‘I admire everyone on the team. All of us bring different qualities and experience; we complement one another.’

Beyond The Tip Of The Spear

The EOC has come a long way since it was established four years ago. Randall Cupido, who was part of the original team, says he remains proud to be part of the EOC and the NSRI as a whole. His previous experience working at Cape Metro as a call taker and ambulance despatcher taught him some of the skills necessary for the EOC environment. But the incidents vary, and Randall is keenly aware that NSRI volunteers out on call rely on the EOC for support, often in life-threatening situations. ‘I regard myself as quite calm, which is something you need in this job,’ he says. Over time, Randall has also realised that adaptability to change is very important. ‘Things can change at the drop of a hat. A situation that looks handled can escalate and you then need to change the planned actions to suit these changes quickly – this can mean the difference between saving and losing a life.’

It’s a fulfilling job, Randall shares, and he agrees with Rizia that having the cameras on various beaches has been a huge boon for them. After spotting two paddlers coming off their kayak and being pulled out and away from the only flotation they had, Randall mobilised the Strand lifeguards, who went to assist the paddlers and then helped them recover their craft.

‘The job definitely gives you a sense of fulfilment when you are involved in saving someone’s life. It is then that the words seen around the office – “Saving Lives, Changing Lives, Creating Futures” – come to life. What the camera technology has allowed us to experience in the EOC is to see the impact of our actions, sometimes first-hand when it plays out live, and it motivates you to give your best every time to secure the same positive outcomes.’

‘The job definitely gives you a sense of fulfilment when you are involved in saving someone’s life. It is then that the words seen around the office – “Saving Lives, Changing Lives, Creating Futures” – come to life. What the camera technology has allowed us to experience in the EOC is to see the impact of our actions, sometimes first-hand when it plays out live, and it motivates you to give your best every time to secure the same positive outcomes.’

The EOC staff might be behind-the-scenes responders who are not physically involved with the drama of hauling someone out of the water, fighting impossible odds to cas-evac sailors from a sinking vessel or finding a lost paddler in the dark. They are what lies beyond the ‘tip of the spear’ as the saying goes: the shaft, the hand, the brain and the body. Since its inception in June 2019, the EOC has proved that lives are also saved by effective systems, partnerships and communication channels.