How do I decide where to put the patrol flags?

According to your training, select the safest area of beach for the flagged primary patrol area, using an elevated observation point and/or a physical test of the area where permitted. The flagged area should be in the safest area for swimming and opened as wide as conditions, activities and resources allow.

• Distance from the water: patrol flags shall be no more than 15 metres from the water at any stage, and flags and rescue equipment must be moved with the rise and fall of the tide to stay at the water's edge.
• Factors to weigh: size and distance of the area to be patrolled, number and skill of patrons, type of activities, recreational equipment such as inflatables, hazards (rocks, sudden drop-offs), personnel and equipment available, communications, other beach users such as surfers, beach type, and prevailing weather, swell, tide and current. The type of patrol (full, partial and so on) is also a factor.
• Before setting up: make sure the beach is safe and clean, paying attention to broken glass, bottles, syringes, branches and floating debris.
• Flags to use: a pair of red and yellow feathered patrol flags marks the patrolled swimming zone; a pair of black and white quartered flags marks the surfcraft exclusion zone where the service has delegated authority.
• Surfcraft: keep a proper buffer zone between the surf craft area and the swimming area.
• No flags: deciding not to erect a flagged area does not mean the beach is closed to other participants such as surfers or nippers doing land-based activities. Before any SLS activity on a closed beach, a documented risk assessment must be completed.

Source: SLSNSW Public Safety SOPs (September 2026), PSS 3.3, PSS 5.4, PSS 7.1 and PSS 7.2.