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Q&A
Council Member Krishnan inquires about lifeguard training sites and accessibility across the city
0:55:12
·
3 min
Council Member Shekar Krishnan questions Commissioner Sue Donoghue and First Deputy Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa about the number and accessibility of lifeguard training sites across New York City. The discussion reveals plans to expand training opportunities and addresses accessibility concerns.
- Current training sites are limited, with plans to expand to each borough
- Parks Department increased the number of qualifying test sites from 9 to 17 for 2024
- Commitment to have a training site in each borough by 2025
- Accessibility issues highlighted, such as difficulty for candidates to travel to distant training locations
- Parks Department offered free recreation center membership for 6 months to those who passed the qualifying test
Shekar Krishnan
0:55:12
Thank you.
0:55:13
Counsel member, Holden.
0:55:15
One question I have is, are there how many training sites are there across the city for people to to pick up lifeguards?
Sue Donoghue
0:55:26
Thank you for the question.
0:55:27
Do you want to take that?
0:55:28
Yes.
Iris Rodriguez-Rosa
0:55:28
Okay.
0:55:30
So currently, we had this particular year for 2024, we actually extended the training opportunities.
0:55:37
So for Hamilton High School, for example, was one that actually came to us and wanted to participate in being able to do training.
0:55:44
Now DOE has seen the benefit of being able to try to do that, and we're looking to and it expanded to other schools throughout the city.
0:55:53
We so we're looking to be able to host a training program hopefully, and our desire is to have one in each borough.
Shekar Krishnan
0:56:00
Thank you for taking my time.
0:56:01
So right now, is it is it just
Iris Rodriguez-Rosa
0:56:03
It's it's a Chelsea.
0:56:04
It's a Chelsea.
0:56:05
It's a gertrude elderly in Manhattan, and and then we had the Fort Hamilton 1 in Brooklyn.
0:56:11
And so we're hoping to be able to have sort of, like, Curtis High School possibly in the Bronx.
0:56:15
And other locate Staten Island, Staten Island, and other schools, you know, throughout and and DOE is very receptive to it.
Shekar Krishnan
0:56:24
And how because, you know, I think, Commissioner, you you challenged us before on the council to find ten people.
0:56:29
From each district to San Antonio.
0:56:30
That's a that's a very good challenge to take up.
0:56:32
But of of course, the issue is sending 10 people from our districts to Fort Hamilton.
0:56:38
I I had a constituent whose child passed the test, but there was no way he can go from Jackson Heights to Fort Hamilton.
0:56:45
This is a very real issue across our city.
0:56:48
So what is unless we've got training programs across the 5 boroughs, as you mentioned, 1st deputy commissioner, we're gonna run into this issue over and over again, even if we can find ten people in each council district.
0:56:57
So what exactly is the timeline And what is Parks doing exactly to make that a reality by next summer?
Sue Donoghue
0:57:07
So thank you for the question council member.
0:57:09
So as I said, we did a number of different things this year.
0:57:12
We expanded the availability of the qualifying tests by 42%.
0:57:19
So we had we had 47 qualifying tests in 2023.
0:57:24
We had 67 in 2024.
0:57:27
We will also expanded those test sites from 9 23 to 17 2024, including schools in each of the outer boroughs.
0:57:37
As I said, if people if individuals pass the qualifying tests, we also offered free rec center membership to pools across the city for 6 months so that people could have access to, young people could have access to training to improve their swim capabilities, to be more likely to be able to pass the test.
0:57:59
And then as a first deputy said, we are committed to having a training facility.
0:58:03
So there's the qualifying test, and we expanded access to that.
0:58:07
And then individuals would go into a training, in order to be trained to pass the lifeguard test.
0:58:13
We're looking to and committed to having a training site in each borough.
Shekar Krishnan
0:58:16
For 2025.
0:58:17
For 2025.
Sue Donoghue
0:58:18
Yeah.
0:58:18
Okay.
0:58:19
Excellent.
0:58:19
That's that's when we need it.
0:58:21
That's it hasn't started yet, but when it starts in in next year in 2025 would have a training site in each bar.
0:58:27
That would the training starts about 8 March or April.
Shekar Krishnan
0:58:30
Okay.
0:58:31
Looking forward to it.
0:58:32
I'm hearing you in March or April.
0:58:33
I'm hearing the good news then.
Sue Donoghue
0:58:34
We'll tell you before that.
Shekar Krishnan
0:58:36
I'll show you right.
Sue Donoghue
0:58:37
See you.