A Beach Aquatic Safety Assessment submitted by Royal Life Saving NSW this week recommended a defibrillator be installed as part of several key changes advised for the area. Councillors will vote on implementing the findings at Monday evening's general council meeting.

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Residents began calling for rescue devices to be installed at the beach after several near-drowning and drowning incidents took place in recent years. While an investigation into installing the equipment was promised in the 2019 Inland Water Safety Plan, a decision was delayed until the completion of this report.

Jenny McKinnon, who witnessed a near-drowning incident at the beach with her family in late 2020, called on councillors to vote the new recommendations in to prevent similar events from unfolding.

"I was running around in bare feet trying to find a defibrillator that wasn't there and actually I have to say, I can't imagine what it was like for the family of the victim, but witnessing the thing ourselves, it was a very traumatising event," Dr McKinnon said.

The changes, estimated to cost around $15,000, will be funded by the existing safety plan with the safety equipment to be provided by RLSNSW.

Under the assessment's recommendation, a publicly accessible AED and emergency communication device would be mounted on the amenities block, and two life rings installed - one at the sandy bank, the other near the rocks.

Former combat medic Rory McKenzie has also long-advocated for basic emergency rescue equipment to be installed, and welcomed news of the upcoming vote.

"It is really promising and I hope that it is some substantial change that we see, I think all the councillors will be onside and I'd be very disappointed if they weren't," Mr McKenzie said.

"These are life saving machines. In Australia a really low percentage of people survive cardiac arrest events outside hospitals and the things that are going to make a difference are an AED and people who know CPR."

Another major change recommended is the establishment of a designated swimming area which would be located off the sandy bank and clearly marked as such with appropriate signage, but a lifesaving service was not recommended based on the current facility visitation rate.

Under the ongoing Riverside redevelopment project, however, visitation is likely to increase and Dr McKinnon said a lifesaving service should be considered.

Other recommendations submitted as part of the report include targeted information and education for the community through programs like the current Outback Lifesaver Program, as well as the establishment of both a management plan that would routinely inspect and maintain equipment and programs and an emergency action plan.

The report also recommended routine water quality monitoring and monitoring and a review of the initial Inland Water Safety Management Plan.

Councillor Dan Hayes welcomed the changes which he hopes to see implemented in time for the 2021-22 summer season, but said the emergency equipment installation is only one part of the ongoing safety program.

"Drowning incidents can happen not just at the beach, but away from it," he said. "So when people are in trouble at the beach [the emergency equipment] is welcomed, but it doesn't eliminate the risk altogether."

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