LIFESAVERS SEND SOS F OR MONEY

VOLUNTEER surf lifesavers will be rattling the tins this week to raise money.

The Picnic Bay and Arcadian surf lifesaving clubs are taking part in SOS Week to raise money to help keep our beaches safe.

Lifesaver Ashlee Keen said the first few days of fundraising would be online, but they would be out in force next weekend.

“We’ll be shaking the tins next weekend starting Friday and going all the way through,” she said.

“We’ll be at various bottle shops and we will also be out on Saturday on Flinders St East.

“It costs $ 850 to train a lifesaver so that we can keep beaches safe and prevent any injuries.”

Surf Life Saving Queensland regional manager Jenny Neal said last year lifesavers from Picnic Bay and Arcadian performed 991 preventive actions and treated 252 first- aid patients.

“This service is offered completely free of charge to the community, but unfortunately it comes at a significant cost to us,” she said.

“A lot of people tend to forget that SLSQ is actually a charity organisation which relies heavily on the generosity of the community to ensure that we can continue to deliver the highest level of beach safety.

“To effectively set up a beach patrol it costs thousands for equipment, including inflatable rescue boats, surf rescue boards, rescue tubes and defibrillators.”

Surf lifesavers will be fundraising during SOS Week from today through until Sunday.