When you are on the seashore in distress and help is needed fast, dialling 082 911 will unleash a well-oiled rescue machine in the form of Netcare 911 paramedics, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Surf Lifesaving SA. Should the distress call come over a weekend or the summer holidays, the chances are that help will arrive by air — a Vodacom Netcare 911 sea rescue helicopter.
Netcare 911 and Vodacom have pledged to fund and operate five fully equipped emergency response helicopters at the coastal centres of Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, George and Margate.
Elgin Magnus, spokesperson for Netcare 911, says that should it not be possible to dispatch a helicopter, the Netcare 911 call centre, which receives the distress call, will immediately alert the NSRI, which will arrive from their closest centre by boat.
The Vodacom Netcare 911 sea rescue helicopter service complements the existing emergency and rescue services by adding a fast and efficient means of search, rescue and stabilisation.