Q&A
Discussion on lifeguard staffing numbers for 2024 beach season
0:36:05
·
101 sec
Council Member Krishnan inquires about the total number of lifeguards hired for the 2024 beach season and their distribution between beaches and pools. Commissioner Donoghue provides the requested information.
- Total lifeguards hired: 930
- Beach lifeguards: 409
- Pool lifeguards: 521
- Donoghue emphasizes the increase in new recruits and the impact of increased pay
Shekar Krishnan
0:36:05
And I think the only way to really address this issue is to begin by first recognizing the gravity and the seriousness of the crisis that we face.
0:36:14
So Mhmm.
0:36:15
One of my questions is, and you mentioned this before commissioner, is how many lifeguards in total ended up being hired in 2024 Beach season?
0:36:23
And what is the breakdown of lifeguards in beaches versus pools?
Sue Donoghue
0:36:27
Yes.
0:36:27
Thank you for the question council member, and I I wanna address the first part of what you said.
0:36:32
As I said in my testimony, the Parks Department in the city takes public safety and water safety extremely seriously.
0:36:39
And the loss of life is devastating for us at parks and for all New Yorkers.
0:36:45
And as a mother of 3 children, I would never ever not take the gravity of the situation very seriously.
0:36:52
It's devastating for all of us in this room and for all New Yorkers.
0:36:55
We recognize that.
0:36:56
We also feel that it's a really important opportunity to talk about water safety, to emphasize not swimming after hours when there are not lifeguards on duty.
0:37:06
That's why we went out.
0:37:07
We did an ethnic media round table.
0:37:09
We did so much in terms of signage in our social media to really emphasize the importance of only swimming when lifeguards were on duty.
0:37:18
It's dangerous to do otherwise.
0:37:20
That's why we work hard to make sure people understand about red flags, people understand what the beach hours are, because we don't want people swimming when it's not safe.
0:37:31
We don't want people swimming when they're not lifeguards on duty.
0:37:34
To address your question this year, we increased the number of lifeguards to 930 and that's 409 Beach Lifeguards And 521 Pool Lifeguards.
