New York Gov. Kathy Hochul greenlit a proposal that would lower the minimum age for certified lifeguards to 15 as a move to help alleviate a lifeguard shortage that has hit the nation and the tri-state area this summer. The minimum age was 16.
This lifeguard shortage forced New York City to eliminate several of its swim programs just before the summer months.the city’s Parks Department announced Tuesday. In total there are four programs affected by this measure and that they will leave New Yorkers unable to take these seasonal services.
“Due to a nationwide lifeguard shortage, we will unfortunately not be offering swim programs at our outdoor pools this summer, including Lap Swim, Senior Swim and Learn to Swim,” the department said on its Twitter account.
Due to the national lifeguard shortage, unfortunately we will not be hosting swim programs, including lap swim, senior swim, and Learn to Swim, at our outdoor pools this summer. Outdoor pools will remain open each day for general swim from 11am-3pm and from 4pm–7pm.
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) June 14, 2022
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The Department clarified that while they regret not being able to offer the swim programs, New York City’s outdoor public pools will open as usual to individuals.
The pools are scheduled to open to the public for swimming on June 28 daily from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
“I’m sure it was a tough decision. But a lot of us have reduced pool hours because there aren’t enough lifeguards to cover all the shifts,” said Mary O’Donoghue, director of aquatics at YMCA of Greater New York.
O’Donoghue said the YMCA is trying to fill the void by offering free lifeguard lessons. Unlike the city, they have enough to give swimming lessons, but even they need more, and they’re offering new lifeguards a signing bonus.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he is now pushing his team to think outside the box, pitching ideas like making kids on swim teams lifeguards.
“We’re surrounded by water, I think our youngsters should get swimming lessons,” Adams said. “We want to see if there is a creative way to do it.”
The Long Island town of Hempstead is fully staffed at the beach and pools, but the town supervisor is asking the governor to lower the certification age by a year.
“15-year-olds can monitor swim platforms and wading pools, they can move older lifeguards into pools,” Supervisor Don Clavin said.
In a letter to Hochul, Clavin detailed how lowering the age could ease the shortage.
“We have 16-year-olds who are more mature than our 20-year-olds,” said Justine Anderson, who trains all lifeguards in Hempstead.
On Friday, Clavin won state approval to lower the certification age, as did all of Nassau and Suffolk counties. A state official said the two Long Island counties have different requirements for lifeguards than other regions of the state, because their beaches require different lifeguard skills.
A spokesperson for the governor said “Hochul directed her team to explore different options to address lifeguard shortage issues in locations across the state.”
Some parents were divided on whether lowering the age was a good idea.
“Sixteen seems pretty good, I think 16 is a good age for that. They’re more responsible, they work seriously,” said Camille Carby.
Paul Hurwitz, a West Hempstead resident and EMT, was more in favor of the idea, saying “if they need lifeguards, why not start them younger?”
Hempstead city officials believe the proposal will work because they already have a junior lifeguard program whose graduates have been successful.
The announcement by the New York City Parks Department comes at a time when drowning accidents, some of them fatal, are being reported and these programs could help people learn to swim. In fact, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) asks parents to enroll their children in swimming lessons as a precaution.
“Childhood drowning rates and non-fatal drowning injuries among children under the age of 15 remain high, and water safety vigilance is as important as ever this summer for parents and caregivers,” said the president of CPSC Alex Hoehn-Saric. “Whether a child is playing in a community pool, a neighbor’s pool, or their own, we urge parents and caregivers to prepare their children for water-related activities by reviewing Pool Safely and signing up for swim lessons this summer. By working together, we can help reduce pool and spa-related deaths.”
The latest report from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that child drowning deaths and drowning injuries in children under the age of 15 continue to be high. That’s why CPSC is asking families and caregivers to make water safety a priority this summer and be extra vigilant.
For example, the report noted that nonfatal pool- or spa-related drowning injuries treated in the hospital department involving children under the age of 15 increased 17 percent in 2021 with 6,800 reported injuries, compared to 2020 with 5,800. Of pool- or spa-related child drowning fatalities, 73 percent involved children under 5 years of age.
CPSC asks people to follow steps to prevent tragedies, such as never leaving a child unattended. HERE WE SHARE A GUIDE ON HOW TO AVOID DROWNING IN POOLS DURING THE SUMMER.
In the tri-state area, some cases have already been reported that highlight the importance of swimming safety.
Two swimmers drowned in separate incidents in Rockaway Beach on Friday night, according to the police. A 16-year-old girl was pulled from the water by civilians near Beach 108th Street at the popular Queens swimming spot, according to police. Around the same time, a young man, possibly another teenager, was pulled from the water near Beach 98th Street, the police said.
On June 10, Ryan Wong and Daniel Persaud were with a group of friends when the two fell into the water and were swept away. The two were swept away by strong currents, which a nearby sign warns of along with sudden falls, and their bodies were later found in the water. Those who frequent the beach say that not many people swim there, and it is more popular with fishermen and kitesurfers.
Also, this week two people drowned in a New Jersey lake around the same time a toddler was pulled from a home pool on Long Island. Another case occurred last month, when a 2-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool in New York’s Rockland Countyrk, authorities said.
In another tragedy, two brothers drowned in an indoor swimming pool at a school in Bayonne last week. The school pool is open at night for community use, according to a city official, who said a lifeguard was on duty at the time of the incident. Her 11-year-old sister saw what happened, the official said.
The diving pool was closed and lifeguards were guarding only the main pool, where everyone at the community swim event was supposed to be.
The two teenage brothers, Jack Jiang, 16, and Chu Ming Zheng, 19, drowned in that side-dive pool, the school board official said. However, it was not immediately clear how the pair ended up in that group.
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