Officials once again call for water safety measures following Rockaway drownings

Borough President Donovan Richards and other water safety advocates called for increased safety measures along New York City’s shores after two teens drowned off of Rockaway’s Riis Beach last week. Photo via Queens Borough President Donovan Richards/X 

By Ryan Schwach

Following the drowning of two teens in the waters off of Rockaway Beach, locals are once again calling for increased safety measures along the borough’s and city’s shores.

It has become a regular – if not annual – call from city officials, particularly those in Southeast Queens.

It is a call that routinely comes after the first drowning of the year off the Rockaway peninsula. Although occasional strides are made toward adding preventative measures and swim safety programs, the issue continues to persist.

“I hate to be here under the circumstances that we found ourselves in, and this is now going on my 21st year in government, and unfortunately we've been here too many times,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said from the Rockaway Boardwalk on Tuesday.

This particular appearance comes a few days after the bodies of 16-year-old Elyjha Chandler and 17-year-old Christian Perkins were found after the two had gone missing while swimming off Riis Beach, a section of federally-run beach on the peninsula last Friday. The two had gone missing on June 21, and the search for them was unsuccessful and was ended after 24 hours.

“We're here today because we refuse to accept that this is just going to be a normal part of our summer out here in Rockaway and across the city,” said Richards.

Richards, who has called for action from the city and state to increase water safety several times in the past, suggested more sweeping measures from the city this time around.

The BP called for an increase in pool access, something Rockaway elected officials like State Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato and Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers have already pushed for legislatively.

A bill from Pheffer Amato, which was passed and signed by the governor last fall, would require parents of newborn children to watch a brief video on the dangers of drowning.

“Childhood drowning is preventable, and it starts with being educated,” Pheffer Amato said about her bill.

Brooks-Powers’ bill, which was passed by the council last year as well, but returned unsigned by the mayor, would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to report annually on drowning deaths that occur in the city. The report would include the location and facility type at which the drowning death occurred, the manner in which the drowning death occurred and details about the victim.

However, Richards said his proposals take beach safety a step further.

Richards suggested that the city extend its summer season, when lifeguards are on duty. Currently, the season runs through Labor Day, but Richards urged lifeguards remain on duty through “at least October.”

“It stays hotter later into the fall,” he said. “At one point we used to say, ‘You know what, summer's over during Labor Day weekend,’ we know that tends to not be as true anymore.”

Richards also suggested that lifeguards stay on later in the day, since many drownings – including Chandler and Perkins – occur after lifeguards go off duty at 6 p.m.

“We need to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that we can save lives – even if we save one life, it goes a long way,” Richards said. “That's the very least we should be doing. Think about how people are staying out much longer when these heat waves occur.”

The suggestions come as the city continues to deal with a lifeguard shortage, struggling to staff its pools and beaches year-after-year.

The Parks Department, who operates all of Rockaway’s coastlines up until Riis Park, said they are considering the ideas, but have said in the past that similar plans “would present very substantial budgetary and operational challenges.”

“We are very proud of our extensive lifeguard recruitment efforts and process improvements, but the stark reality is that we still face a very challenging environment for hiring, which means that the expansion of the beach and pool season and operating hours… is unlikely to be feasible any time in the foreseeable near future,” Parks Commissioner Sue Donaghue said in March.

However, Parks said it has been making strides in limiting those lifeguard hiring issues, including reworking the test for lifeguards to make them more fair, and increasing the number of testing sites.

Still, the city is currently operating about 400 lifeguards short of being able to fully staff all of its beaches and pools, let alone extend hours and the season on the city’s shores.

But with the lack of city action, those living along Queens’ shores suggest swimmers take measures themselves to stay safe.

Swim Strong founder Shawn Slevin, talked about ways that swimmers should keep themselves safe in the meantime.

“The first thing I do is I look for my lifeguard,” Slevin saud. “I go to that lifeguard and I ask them, ‘Can you tell me what's going on in the water today?’ And what I'm asking about is what the temperature is, what is going on with the currents.”

“I cannot emphasize enough that our lifeguards, they are our safety net,” Slevin added. “Please, please, just swim where they are.”