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NYC Tougher Rescue Rules Can Help Save Fuel


As temperatures hit their 80s highs on a sunny afternoon this week, dozens of people were trying to cool off at the public swimming pool at McCarren Park in Williamsburg with only half of its normal space left. the other side sat empty, blocked by traffic cones and warnings. bandage.

A national shortage of lifeguards has left swimming pools and beaches on the the country lacks manpower and in some cases closes. And in New York City, summer has been marked by reduced capacity, Swimming pool closed without noticeLong lines to enter and cancel free swimming lessons.

But the city’s shortfall isn’t just due to a lack of applicants, some seasonal lifeguards said. Another issue, they say, is how difficult it has been for the city to get people eligible to work at pools and beaches.

This year, 900 applicants took the city’s lifeguard training program test, and about 26% passed, according to city data. To qualify, recruits must swim 50 yards, equivalent to the length of an Olympic-sized pool, in 35 seconds or less.

The city’s lifeguard requirements are similar to those at state-run beaches on Long Island, where lifeguards must be able to swim 100 yards in 75 seconds or less to prove it. prove they have the strength and stamina to overcome long distances and rescue people in sometimes rough seas. too much water.

But New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has less stringent requirements for lifeguards at its pools and other facilities: They must swim 50 yards in sprints. 45 seconds or less and 200 yards in less than four minutes. Nearly 90% of applicants passed that swim test in 2019, according to one state data.

Considering the difficulty of the requirements, Thomas G. Gill, vice president of Lifesaving Association of America, the non-profit professional organization of beach lifeguards and open water lifeguards, says the 100-yard swim in 75 seconds will probably be the most challenging for most swimmers. ; swimming 50 yards under 35 seconds is a bit less demanding; and swimming 200 yards is the easiest.

Mr Gill said: “Protecting the pool and protecting the ocean are both very important and there should always be lifeguards present no matter where you are.

“But,” he added, “the potential distance covered to rescue in an open water situation is exponentially higher than the potential for a pool.”

Typically, the city aims to hire between 1,400 and 1,500 lifeguards to fully staff the more than 50 public swimming pools and city-run beaches. This year, they hired just 500 people to start the season, including rookies, a number that rose to 786 by the weekend of July 4, after a team of returning lifeguards was required.

Although the state also experienced some shortages of lifeguards earlier this season, resulted in the cancellation of some free swimming lessonsMost of their lifeguard positions have been filled this summer, according to a spokesman.

Adam Ganser, executive director of New Yorkers for Parks, a research and advocacy organization, said: “Overall, the state has acted more quickly to respond to the national shortage than the city itself has. city. “The city really needs to act much faster on this and ramp up hiring earlier and start looking at a much broader pool of people who might be in these positions.”

Crystal Howard, assistant commissioner of the Parks Department, said changes to the lifeguard program, including entry requirements, need to be approved by both the New York State Department of Health and the union. Negotiate for the city’s lifeguards.

Thea Setterbo, the union’s communications director, said that if the city wants to increase hiring, it needs to raise wages, saying it is “the most effective tactic to address the shortage of lifeguards.”

A spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Meghan Lalor, added that the agency is “exploring multiple options to increase numbers and increase hiring for next season.”

Ms. Howard said there was no data showing how many people were ineligible over the years. She said the agency does not track the time of swimmers who fail the test.

The shortage of lifeguards is not a new problem, but it is an urgent one, Mr. Ganser said. As the world heats up due to climate change and city summers get hotter, it’s important to have access to swimming pools for people without indoor air conditioning, he said.

Janet Fash, who has worked as a primary lifeguard at Rockaway Beach for 31 years, said the qualifications of city lifeguards need to be reevaluated. The skills needed to rescue in a pool are different from those needed to save lives in outdoor water environments, she said, and exams should reflect that.

“The important thing is if you’re a pool lifeguard, how long will you actually have to swim?” she asked.

A spokesman for the New York State Department of Health, which oversees lifeguard certification requirements statewide, said the minimum standard set by the city is intended for lifeguards to surf. waves qualify at beaches and “exceed requirements for other levels of lifeguard supervision,” such as swimming pools.

The state sets minimum requirements that rescuers must meet, but state officials say cities are free to set their own standards.

The state spokeswoman added that surf lifeguards looking after beaches have a higher skill requirement to ensure they are equipped to respond to emergencies in seawater.

The city has been working to ramp up hiring before the summer. The qualifying season was extended to the end of April, the number of testing sessions held increased from 15 in 2021 to 29 in 2022, and the department contacted about 300 school principals and about 3,000 coaches. swimmers to search for candidates.

Mayor Eric Adams also reached an agreement with Council District 37The union negotiated for the city’s lifeguards, which in early July temporarily increased the wages of lifeguards and changed the qualification standards for lifeguards working in 17 of the city. mini swimming poolcommonly found at playgrounds, allowing the city to hire 78 return rescuers over a two-week period, according to a spokeswoman.

Ms. Fash said the city needs to do the same for all lifeguard positions.

The state agency, which started the hiring season late because of a wave of Covid cases last winter, has held 65 qualifying sessions across New York starting in March and will in the summer.

Ms Fash said she has seen requirements change in her career – when she started, beach lifeguards had to swim 440 yards in 30 seconds shorter than current certification requirements. During one of her first summers in the job, in the early 1980s, she says she remembers the city opening its hiring window all summer to minimize shortages of lifeguards.

Eleven lifeguards performed various shifts at McCarren’s Olympic-sized pool on Wednesday afternoon. According to the park department, opening at full capacity would require a rotation of 24 lifeguards.

A group of swimmers swam from side to side of the pool in a small area dedicated to them. Anna Miller, 35, who lives nearby, said she frequents the public pool this summer and has yet to see the entire pool open.

Still, she says, “I’m obsessed with the pool.”

“Even though it’s problematic this year, it’s one of the hidden gems in New York City,” she added. “It’s free and it’s a beautiful space where nobody has a cell phone and you can just go into the world.”



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