We offered free trauma kits to coastal councils in NSW and QLD, and not one accepted...

The risk of being bitten or dying from an unprovoked shark bite in Australia is extremely low. According to studies by the Australian Shark Incident Database there are on average 1.1 fatalities per year from shark bites across NSW and QLD. Compare that with the 87 people who on average drown at Australian beaches each year (SLSA 2010).

Despite being incredibly rare, shark bites do happen, and often have serious consequences for those involved. Following a severe shark bite, victims typically suffer a massive loss of blood, and if not intervened, this often leads to fatality. If the victim has access to swift medical attention and medical supplies their chances of survival are much greater. 

A number of years ago, Trauma kits were designed by Sea Shepherd in conjunction with trauma experts, and endorsed by Shark bite survivor Paul DeGelder. These Trauma Kits are designed to help stop bleeding in the case of a rare shark bite so that the victims have a better chance of survival and include medical shears to cut through neoprene if necessary, trauma bandages, emergency blankets to keep a patient warm, tourniquets to stop the flow of blood loss, and a pictorial instructional sheet.

Shortly after Envoy finished documenting the current Shark Control and Bather Protection programs, and reviewing modern shark mitigation measures, we decided to try and help. 

Envoy Foundation reached out to every coastal council in NSW and QLD and offered to pay for the supply of Trauma Kits and weatherproof containers for their beaches. We offered these on the proviso that councils would mount them on signposts at every popular beach, unpatrolled surf break and swimming spot. We hoped that we could help provide the difference in saving someone’s life. 

This offer of supplying free Trauma Kits to every council was made in May 2020. Not one council accepted the offer. Since that date, there have unfortunately been several fatalities in NSW and QLD.

Would these Trauma Kits have helped prevent these fatalities? Could they have helped provide quicker access to medical supplies to stop the victims’ excessive bleeding? Why didn’t the councils accept our offer?

One argument the councils offered when refusing these kits was that we should leave medical supplies in the hands of trained lifesavers. Envoy Foundation responded to note that this is only a good measure if lifesavers are present at every beach, every surf break, every swimming spot 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. But we all know that this is not the case. This offer was specifically to address unpatrolled, or outside of patrol hours shark incidents.

As we continue to enter the ocean professionally or for recreational pursuit, we need to accept that sharks present a risk - a very low risk, but still a real risk.

Envoy Foundation encourages our councils across all states of Australia to install Trauma Kits at beaches as an extra measure that can help prevent fatalities caused by the rare event of a shark bite. Yes, it will mean walking onto a beach and seeing a shark trauma kit and being reminded that sharks are in the ocean. But is it really that different than the jellyfish signs and post-sting medicine available in QLD reminding people that jellyfish are in the ocean?

Better signage and access to trauma response solutions at unpatrolled beaches and during unpatrolled hours can minimise fatalities in the rare case of a shark incident and we think, should be adopted across all of Australia. So why isn’t it being adopted, even when it comes at zero cost due to a donation offer from independent filmmakers? We will leave that one for you to decide...