Lifeguards: Still Slacking Off In 2010

Remember last summer when lifeguards became the new target for water-logged watchdogs? Well, it's gettin' hot out there, and a reader sent in the following account after visiting Rockaway Beach this weekend—signaling another summer of lazy lifeguarding!:

I was at Rockaway Beach on Saturday, June 26th at the 125th Street entrance and there was a blond female lifeguard on duty. She brought the whole family along and sat in the lifeguard tower with her baby in her lap for a good 45 minutes. I hardly see how you can jump off the lifeguard tower and save a life with a baby in your damn lap. She was the only lifeguard up on the lifeguard tower at the time, and seemed to be the only lifeguard on duty for that area, as the other lifeguard was having a photoshoot with his girlfriend. Haven't there been a lot of drownings lately? Shouldn't our lifeguards be paying attention to the ocean?

To be fair, in one photo there does seem to be another lifeguard on the sand (maybe his girlfriend didn't show up yet with the camera?)—however, it probably isn't a great idea to hold a baby up on the lifeguard chair, as it would shave off important time from any rescue effort, and possibly even put the baby in harm's way. All we're saying is, Mitch Buchannon's cadre of good-looking, slow-motion-jogging lifeguards would have never pulled this kind of stunt. We've contacted the Parks Department for a comment on this particular incident, and will update when/if we hear back. And don't forget to send us your sand-side observations and lifeguard critiques all summer long!

UPDATE: The Parks Dept. tells us, "The chairs are for use by lifeguards only and we are reviewing the circumstances described to determine whether it was appropriate."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on June 29, 2010 4:54 PM

Comments [rss]

milkdilk

First of all, great pictures. I can really tell what's going on, and I haven't gotten vertigo from looking at them.

Second, way to expose abuse of the system. This girl is going to get fired or reprimanded hard for letting her kid come up on the stand when there are about 12 people on the beach.

Third:

"I hardly see how you can jump off the lifeguard tower and save a life with a baby in your damn lap"

Even though these one megapixel pictures makes discerning almost anything about this situation difficult, you can see that the kid is sitting next to her. If the kid were in her lap, I don't think she'd jump off the stand and run down to the water before taking the kid off her lap. Which, by the way, would add around 1.5 seconds to her response time.

This is about as newsworthy as a cop talking on his cell phone while driving, but only half as interesting, and twice as yellow for the fact that this is a mom who has only ever saved lives at her job, and needed to watch her kid.

guardinglives.wordpress.com

Sally

I happen to sit on this beach daily and I see this lifeguard on a regular basis. She is always on point and courteous to beach attendees and since you must be a DFD, do not come down to OUR beach and criticize OUR lifeguards that work long hours. While you are at home relaxing during storms, these lifeguards are on that lifeguard tower fighting the heavy rains! The child is not sitting on the lifeguards lap, get your facts straight and second this lifeguard has been here for numerous years and I am sure she can handle a situation whether she has 1 child in tower or 10. Do not come back to our beach! Why didnt you go up to the lifeguard and speak with her instead of being a snitch running to a newspaper.. Get a LIFE AND STAY OUT OF OUR BEACHES!

sugarsweet

To the author: it seems like YOU'RE slacking since you report something without checking the facts. Are you in Writing101 for middle school journalism? This lifeguard found a missing young distressed child, and wrapped him up in the sheet under the umbrella to keep him safe and out of the sun. Did you in fact approach the lifeguards to see if you could offer any additional help? Besides keeping beaches safer, lifeguards have to deal with missing kids/ lost parents every day. Their job is not made easier by ridiculous posts like this. You've clearly left the professionalism to the lifeguards. Thanks to your carelessness in not checking facts, you are potentially putting the entire beach in increased danger should this lifeguard crew be one member short.

limedcoconut

I think you should shift your focus to taking cell phone pictures of 'swimmers' who can't actually swim entering the water at places like Rockaway beach when there are NO lifeguards on duty, which is when most of those drownings take place. Way to vilify your public workers. I mean, For f's sake, there are signs at every entrance at that particular beach telling swimmers that currents are strong and extremely dangerous and to exercise caution when swimming.

King Kong

Top of the list for worst Gothamist post ever. WTF? Waiting for comment? I hope they tell you to get a life.

mx0

More like "Douchebags: Still Trying To Stir Up Shit With Mindless Complaining Online in 2010 and Forever. Thanks for the Shallow Insights! Especially Those You've Parroted from Elsewhere (ie, All of Them)!"

whitecastlerock

Considering most token booth clerks have been laid off, there is a lack of visible slackers for the ultra hip scenesters to blog about.

scrappymcgee

I am sure no gothamist writer is ever caught slacking. They are always typing away at stories already reported in better news sources. Keep up the good work.

Theodore Wirth

Jeez. Like Firemen, we need lifeguards to save lives. In spite of their snoozing, do you think that the average Joe could rescue a potential drowning victim? This kind of crapola only feeds the public/republican/neocon sentiment that says that anybody who is a public employee is living large. These guys are probably making minimum wage for chrissakes.

Give me a break, willya?

Knickerbocker

Update:

1. Lifeguard gets fired.

2. No qualified replacement can be found.

3. Beach is closed for the remainder of summer due to safety concerns.

Unintended consequences to the rescue!