Power of anti-drowning technology on display at Stirling Leisure - Inglewood in WA’s first AI-assisted pool rescue
“The City of Stirling took the lead on introducing this technology in WA, and as we’ve seen from this incident, it has the ability to save lives," Royal Life Saving Society Western Australia CEO Peter Leaversuch said.
Anti-drowning technology powered by artificial intelligence has shown its lifesaving capabilities in the first documented AI-assisted rescue at a public pool in Western Australia.
The incident unfolded in the outdoor pool at Stirling Leisure – Inglewood on 10 June, when a male swimmer suffered a medical episode and slipped below the surface.
City of Stirling lifeguard Cameron Menzies was patrolling the 14-lane pool at the time – the biggest outdoor lap pool in the southern hemisphere – but did not see the man go under.
The first sign of a problem for Mr Menzies was an alert sent to his smartwatch by the Lynxight AI aquatic safety system installed at the pool.
Stirling Leisure – Inglewood was the first facility in WA to start using the Lynxight technology after a major redevelopment completed in September 2024.
The Lynxight system tracks swimmers and monitors for various signs of distress, sending real-time alerts to lifeguards when it detects a potential problem.
Mr Menzies jumped into action after receiving the alert on his smartwatch which gave him the exact location of the swimmer, including images.
Meanwhile, a man named Ofer Lefelman, who happened to be using the same lane as the swimmer, spotted him in trouble and pulled him to the surface.
Mr Menzies then took over, carrying the unconscious man to the end of the pool where he was hoisted to safety with the help of other City lifeguards.
The swimmer was conscious and talking when he was taken away by paramedics and has since made a full recovery.
"The swimmer was saved by the quick actions of Mr Lefelman and Mr Menzies, but this was also a fantastic example of the Lynxight AI system in action,” City of Stirling Deputy Mayor Suzanne Migdale said.
“In this case, the AI technology improved the response time of our lifeguard and allowed him to get out there faster to help with the rescue.
“But in different circumstances, the AI alert could have easily been the difference between life and death.
“It’s reassuring to know that you have this cutting-edge technology looking out for your safety.”
Royal Life Saving Society Western Australia CEO Peter Leaversuch said he would like to see other organisations across WA consider installing AI drowning detection technology at public pools.
"There were 323 drowning deaths in Australia last year, which is 16 per cent above our 10-year average,” Mr Leaversuch said.
“That’s a really concerning figure in a country where swimming is so popular and it shows that we can’t afford to become complacent about water safety.
“The City of Stirling took the lead on introducing this technology in WA, and as we’ve seen from this incident, it has the ability to save lives.
“We know that drownings can happen quickly and quietly, so having this AI technology watching for problems in the water and alerting lifeguards is a significant step forward in pool safety.”
Pictured: The moment the AI-powered Lynxight system detected a potential problem with the swimmer, triggering a real-time alert to lifeguards.
