Latest news with #lifeguardshortage
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Teen pulled from Framingham pond as city acknowledges no lifeguards were on duty
A teenage boy was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon after he was pulled from a pond in Framingham, Massachusetts and the city said no lifeguards were on duty at the time this happened. It happened shortly after 3 p.m. at Learned Park & Beach. The mayor's office said first responders arrived on scene after the 17-year-old boy went missing. A diver went into the water and 10 minutes later, the swimmer was found about 30 years from the shore, according to firefighters. The mayor's office said the boy was not breathing when he was brought out of the water. He received medical treatment on shore and was rushed to Metrowest Medical Center, where his condition is unknown. His identity has not been released. In a statement, Framingham Parks & Recreation said they've been dealing with a shortage of lifeguards this summer. Four bathhouse attendants were at the beach Sunday and the two who were certified lifeguards were able to help first responders rescue the teen. The department said because no lifeguards were on duty, signs were posted at the beach saying "Unguarded waterfront" and "No lifeguard on duty." No other information was immediately available. Learned Beach is in Framingham and is about 21 miles west of Boston. Just last Sunday, a 4-year-old drowned in a backyard pool in Brockton. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children one to four years old in the United States.
CBS News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Why staffing cuts to national parks could pose safety concerns for summer visitors
Assateague Island, Maryland — The shoreline of Maryland's Assateague Island is a familiar place for surfer Zack Tyndall. A former firefighter paramedic, Tyndall often helped beachgoers there — but now, as the mayor of nearby Berlin, Maryland, he says safety isn't guaranteed. "I don't want to see anybody drown," Tyndall told CBS News. "We had saves where we were able to bring people out, and we had some where we weren't able to, and that's my biggest fear here on the island." The 37-mile-long Assateague Island is shared by both Maryland and Virginia. Each year, millions of people visit the Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland, which is managed by the National Park Service. However, this summer, visiting families are also seeing shuttered lifeguard towers and signs warning that no lifeguards are on duty. CBS News asked the Park Service about the staffing situation on Assateague Island, but the agency did not directly respond to those questions – instead, saying in a statement that lifeguard shortages are a "nationwide concern even outside of our public lands. Many communities and cities across the country are experiencing a lifeguard shortage below ideal levels. Visitors have always had access to unguarded beaches and guarded beaches even after lifeguards leave for the day. We appreciate the public's understanding and cooperation as we work to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all." The Trump administration laid off about 1,000 NPS employees in February as part of its push, led by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, to enact large-scale personnel and budgetary cuts across the federal government. President Trump also enacted a hiring freeze on federal permanent civilian employees immediately after taking office, which has impacted the Park Service. That hiring freeze has since been extended to July 15. "This was a policy put into place by DOGE and the current Trump administration that led to a complete hiring freeze on all hiring across the National Park Service," Ed Stierli, Mid-Atlantic region senior director of the National Parks Conservation Association, an independent Park Service advocacy group, told CBS News. According to analysis released this week by the Conservation Association, the Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent staff since Mr. Trump took office in January. The analysis also determined that about 4,500 seasonal positions have been filled, including lifeguards, well under the 7,700 seasonal positions NPS earlier this year said it was aiming to fill. "The reason there are no lifeguards at Assateague is honestly a symptom of the chaos and dysfunction that has been impacting this agency since the beginning of this administration," Stierli said. A Trump administration official told CBS News that all fire, law enforcement and public facing NPS personnel are prioritized to remain in place. Tyndall, meanwhile, is just hoping for a safe summer in Maryland. "Every day that we don't have a lifeguard here on the beach is putting every one of these swimmers, every one of our local residents, everybody that comes to visit Assateague Island, in jeopardy," Tyndall said. And the situation could get worse with the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which calls for the Interior Department to cut more than $1 billion to the National Park Service, the largest such cut in its history.
CBS News
02-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Derry Borough public pool to remain open despite lifeguard shortage
The public pool in Derry Borough will follow a modified schedule this summer amid a lifeguard shortage. During a meeting on Tuesday, Derry Borough Council voted to close the pool one day per week, saving the borough $500 per week. Residents and pool pass holders said they are ecstatic that the pool is not closing. "It's the best-kept secret," Derry resident Mary Repko said. "It's wonderful. It's families. People come with their kids, their grandkids, and it's a community because we get to know one another." Derry Borough Council said this is all thanks to two people who donated $3,500. "If you did not get that money from those two donors, where do you think you would be right now?" KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso asked. "We probably would be either looking at closing other days or maybe even closing the entire season," Derry Borough Council President Barbara Phillips said. "What people don't realize is how far that amount of money goes in a town like this, where our whole budget is $950,000," Derry Borough Council Member Nathan Bundy told those in attendance on Tuesday. The pool will be closed on Mondays, the weakest day for attendance, because the borough only has six lifeguards. But they are all getting a pay increase. Now, first-year lifeguards will make $10.50 per hour and more for second and third years. Lifeguards will also be reimbursed hundreds of dollars for their certifications or recertifications. The borough hopes all this will be enough to hire two to four more lifeguards. For the people who bought $250 pool passes, the borough is offering a full refund or a 10 percent discount on concessions if the pass is kept. "Food costs are up," Phillips said. "We have a full concession stand that a lot of other community pools don't have. We try to make the most of that." The council president added that the borough doesn't need the pool to make money. It just wants it break even, but it has lost nearly $40,000 over the last three years.
