Unpatrolled areas such as Shelly Beach and Narrabeen Lagoon will undergo a safety audit to ensure beach-goers can access life-saving equipment during emergency situations.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said he called for the audit following the near-drowning of a 65-year-old man at Shelly Beach in early January and another boat rescue off the point at Shelly last week.

“We are very fortunate on the Northern Beaches to have patrols in place all day every day over the summer on our popular surf beaches,” Mayor Regan said.

“However I think it’s prudent to consider what can be put in place at other non-patrolled beaches or ocean pools that might help save a life.

“We may need to consider additional monitoring during peak periods or just make sure there is a way for people to call nearby lifeguards quickly in an emergency situation – such as duress alarms.

“These are already installed at a number of our ocean pools and it would be good to review where they are and if there are any gaps.

“Other medical devices like defibrillators can also be life savers when in the right place at the right time.

“I have asked our team to have a look at some of those options and see what we can do to make all our beaches as safe as possible,” Mayor Regan said.