IKWV Reddingsdienst
With a tight budget, 34 km of beach to patrol, a three-month peak period and human lives as its 'product', the Intercommunale Kustreddingsdienst van West-Vlaanderen (IKWV) rescue services have patrolled the Belgian coast and ensured the safety of visitors for 28 years. From June to September, it employs around 1,300 professional lifeguards, stationed at more than 82 rescue posts.
Secretary An Beun explains, "We use our two-way radios intensively for around three months and then leave them in storage for the rest of the year. This and the effects of wind, salt and sand led to increasingly higher maintenance costs, not to mention the complicated situation we faced after procuring so many different types of radios over the years.
Last summer, Flash Services installed a test set-up at the seaside resort De Haan, and it proved a great success. When the tendering phase revealed that Flash was also the most inexpensive provider, the decision was quickly made."
Communication is a matter of life or death
Dependent on a provincial and municipal operating allowance and private sponsors, IKWV has a tight budget. "Nonetheless we have to ensure that we maintain safety on Belgian beaches," continues An Beun. "IKWV specifically opted for its own analogue system that offers optimum reception at all rescue posts as well as at sea. It also enables communication with the coastguard helicopter. ASTRID radios are used to communicate with the police and fire services."
Worry-free lease
While system reliability and ease of communication remain decisive criteria, Flash's lease concept offers another great advantage. Administration Expert Ivo Muyle explains, "We didn't have to invest everything all at once. Moreover, we don’t have to worry about the system anymore. Gone are the days of maintenance and replacement costs."
Flash Account Manager Björn Pappaert, "Renting or leasing offers IKWV another benefit. During the summer, it has more than 260 radios in use among the lead lifeguards. All rental radios, including the batteries, are labelled with a unique barcode which is scanned on issue and return. All details are stored on the Flash system, and customer orders are automatically updated."
IKWV can also keep an exact record of which lifeguard uses which radio, as Flash 'personalises' on issue all radios for each rescue post. As part of this additional service, all radios are labelled with a unique personal identification number, including the number of pre programmed channels.
Maintaining safety
An Beun and Ivo Muyle are proud of IKWV's track record: there has never been a fatal incident on its watch. "We do everything we can to ensure that this remains the case. Flash relieves us of a serious concern by providing a communication system we can rely on and do not have to worry about. We prefer to spend our time and efforts doing what we do best: ensuring the safety of our visitors!"
More information
Flash rent/lease concept
www.ikwv.be