Case study · CCTV

A public livestream that cuts callouts

Porthcawl has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world and tides that run at up to 7 knots. A weatherproof Axis camera and weather station now let visitors, and the crew, see the sea before they go out.

Client: RNLI Porthcawl
Sector: Charity · Lifeboat station
Location: Porthcawl
Services: CCTV

lifeboat callouts in a single year before the project

£2,000+

cost of a single lifeboat launch

avoided launches cover the cost of the installation

The challenge

Too many callouts, too many people caught out.

Bad weather and visitors who don’t know the water meant frequent callouts for the Porthcawl crew: 73 in one year. Every launch puts volunteers at risk and costs the charity at least £2,000.

The station wanted three things: to show visitors what the sea was really doing before they went in, to give the public live weather and tide information, and to give the crew better information before a launch.

What we did

What we put in place.

AXIS Q1775-E camera

A fixed network camera built for harsh coastal weather, with 10x optical zoom and autofocus, running 24/7.

Live weather station

Real-time sea and weather data alongside the picture, for the public and the crew.

Public livestream

Anyone can check conditions on the seafront from their phone before they set off.

Remote monitoring

Installed with Axis Communications and supported remotely by PC1.

The outcome

What changed.

Safer visitors
Seeing the conditions for themselves puts people off risky trips in bad weather, which means fewer callouts.
Better-informed launches
Crews check live weather and tide data before they go.
Pays for itself
At £2,000+ a launch, avoiding two unnecessary launches covers the installation.
More eyes on the water
Residents and visitors watching the stream can report incidents, so the crew hears sooner.

Kit & technology