New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that the parks department will compel some lifeguards to stay on duty for two more hours during heat crises, following six drownings at municipal beaches so far this summer.
Sixty six of the approximately 400 lifeguards stationed on Big Apple beaches will remain on the sand until 8 p.m. in the event of a heat emergency, according to Adams. Swimming, however, will still be prohibited after 6 p.m.
The extra lifeguard shifts will only take place if the city enacts its heat emergency plan, namely when the heat index is projected to be 95 degrees or higher for two or more days, or 100 degrees or higher for one or more days.
Four years after the pandemic disrupted swimming instruction and lifeguard training throughout the five boroughs, the city is still facing a scarcity of lifeguards. Officials from the parks department stated on Tuesday that they presently employ 922 lifeguards, including the approximately 400 who are stationed at beaches. To properly staff the city’s beaches and pools, officials claimed they would require 1,500 lifeguards.
While welcoming the extension of hours at municipal pools and beaches, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards called on City Hall to increase the number of free swim lessons offered and reevaluate its policy of employing lifeguards after municipal authorities and the lifeguard union agreed a new deal earlier this year in order to simplify the recruiting process.
The two months of beach drownings have already seen more than any summer since 2019, when at least seven people lost their lives in similar circumstances.
