NSRI’s pink rescue buoys stolen
If you see someone with a pink buoy and they do not have NSRI identification, it has probably been stolen from a pole.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) had a few pink buoys stolen over this holiday season, and the institution said the theft may cost someone their life.
They described pink rescue buoys as public rescue equipment deployed at selected beaches, rivers and dams around South Africa and have been used to help rescue 177 people that the institute knows of.
The institute said since the project started in late 2017, more than 1 800 of these bright pink emergency flotation devices have been sponsored by individuals and companies and placed strategically around the coastline and at some inland rivers and dams.
They are designed to provide emergency flotation for those in difficulty in the water and floatation for a rescuer who goes in to help – despite being warned of the danger of doing this.
The NSRI is constantly identifying additional sites where they can be placed in cooperation with municipal authorities.
The pink rescue buoys have caught the imagination of communities as the word spreads that they successfully save lives.
Volunteers within these communities look after the pink buoys and make sure that they are always ready to be used. The institute appeals to the public to assist in identifying any faults or missing buoys.
If you see a pole that is missing a pink buoy, call the cellphone number on the pole to let the NSRI know, so that they can replace it.
If you see someone with a pink buoy and they do not have NSRI identification, it has probably been stolen from a pole. Please ask the person who has it to return it to the pole that they removed it from, or call NSRI so that they can recover the buoy to relocate it to its pole.
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