Almost everything in LIMSOC hangs off three ideas. Once you understand them, the rest of the system makes sense.
Units
A unit is anything that can be on duty and respond: a surf club, a lifeguard service, a support service such as a jet ski or helicopter, or an officer role such as a duty officer or supervisor. Each unit has:
a callsign, the short code Surfcom uses on the radio and in LIMSOC
a home location, region and organisation
a status, signed on or signed off, which Surfcom sees in real time
You don't log in as a unit. You log in as yourself, then choose the unit you're working for.
Patrols
A patrol is one period of duty for a club or service, from sign on to sign off. While a patrol is signed on, it holds:
the beach status (open or closed), patrol strength and powercraft status
the team of members on duty, whose hours are sent to SurfGuard
statistics such as attendance and preventative actions, the day's Surf Risk Rating, and any stinger drags
Patrols come in types, such as Beach Patrol, Event, Nippers, Training and Emergency Response. Some powercraft, such as an IRB, are signed on as a smaller patrol linked to the main one. Officer units in the Field view sign on in a similar way, but without a team or statistics.
Incidents
An incident is an event that needs a response, identified by an incident number (for example L26090002). Surfcom usually creates it and links the units responding; some units can create their own. Each unit linked to an incident has its own response status, such as Enroute or On Scene. See Statuses Explained.
How the records connect
First aids and rescues are recorded by a unit. They can stand alone or be linked to an incident. Major first aids must be linked to one.
An IRL (Incident Report Log) is always part of an incident. It's your unit's account of its involvement.
Peer support forms are added to an incident by Peer Support Officers.
Everything feeds into Reporting, scoped to the organisations you have rights for.