QUEENS, N.Y. — New York City continues to struggle to meet staffing needs for its beaches. Most recently, the lifeguard shortage has extended to leadership ranks.
According to THE CITY, six of nine lifeguard “shacks” on Rockaway Beach, a Queens beach where nearly a dozen people have drowned since 2020, are left without chiefs. As a result, most of the 11 miles of waterfront are left without direction and supervisors to properly oversee scheduling, dispatch and training.
“We are aware that there are several supervisory lifeguard positions that are currently not filled,” Meghan Lalor, a Parks Department spokesperson, told THE CITY. “We are working to post for these vacancies and hope to fill them expeditiously.”
According to THE CITY, a Parks Department official informed the publication that “acting supervisors” will work with borough coordinators to schedule breaks and assign lifeguards on beaches lacking leadership.
The Parks Department aims to employ between 1,400 and 1,500 lifeguards each year. This summer, 750 are spread thin along 14 miles of beaches and numerous city pools, reported THE CITY.
The Parks Department will reach out to active lifeguards about filling in chief and lieutenant lifeguard roles, which, unlike other civil service jobs, do not use a promotional exam, the CITY reported. Instead, promotions are made by leaders of unions that represent lifeguards and lifeguard supervisors, Local 461 and Local 508, respectively.
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