Queensland’s Surfers Paradise is preparing for the influx of approximately 15,000 school leavers for schoolies.
Authorities and volunteer organisations are implementing safety measures and providing support services for the annual event.
Police have increased their presence, deploying officers from across the south-east region.
Schoolies celebrations in Surfers Paradise. (Supplied)
“We’ll be patrolling not only in high visibility uniform, but also in plain clothes and conducting activities which include random breath testing on the entries into schoolies as the schoolies arrive, as well as a lot of wanding activities,” police said.
Parents are urged to remain vigilant.
“Keep an eye on what your kids are doing. Let them celebrate the school that they’re leaving behind and the next chapter of their life,” police said.
Ambulance services are also on standby, advising students to prioritise safety.
“The first piece of advice is always be safe and watch your mate,” ambulance service personnel said.
There are indications that students are participating in safer activities this year.
“It seems that the school leavers are actually engaging in a lot more daytime activities that doesn’t include excessive consumption of alcohol,” ambulance service personnel said.
A pop-up emergency treatment centre, staffed by doctors, nurses, social workers, and mental health specialists, will operate between 6pm and 2am daily.
The centre is equipped with a resuscitation station and facilities for treating minor injuries, and is anticipating up to 100 presentations each night.
Red Frogs Australia has mobilised 550 volunteers to provide assistance to school leavers.
“We’ve just bumped in 10,000 pancake shakers today and also with seven tons of red frogs,” said a representative from Red Frogs Australia.
The organisation also offers a walk-home service.
“Last year we had 8429 callouts, 2400 were for random acts of pancakes, but they can also ring for walk homes. We’ve got a lot of walk home teams here, we did about 3000 walk homes last year,” said a representative from Red Frogs Australia.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
