Should lifeguards be part of the FDNY instead of NYC Parks?

NEW YORK – Some in South Brooklyn want lifeguards to be part of the New York City Fire Department instead of the Parks Department.

It's a potential solution to the city's ongoing lifeguard shortage .

"A pipeline to a career as a first responder"

They respond to waterfront emergencies and receive life-saving training, so why aren't lifeguards considered emergency responders ? South Brooklyn activist Craig Hammerman has been pondering this question all summer.

"We've thought about the lifeguard positions traditionally as these dead-end jobs ... but I think it's time that we re-envision the lifeguard position instead to be a pipeline to a career as a first responder," Hammerman tells CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger.

He sent a letter to the Independent Budget Office of New York City , asking for a study to determine the cost and process involved in transferring the function of lifeguards from the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to the Fire Department.

"The fire department has had to put a lot of resources into recruitment in order to diversify their workforce. And they've been quite successful at it," he said.

There are other cities where lifeguards fall under the jurisdiction of the fire department. For example, Los Angeles, where that department says it has a tradition of being one of the best ocean lifeguarding agencies in the world.

Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who represents parts of the South Brooklyn beachfront, sent her own letter of support for the study in response to Hammerman's proposal.

"I think that with this problem being so pervasive, we should be open to different options," she said.

Officials cite challenges in proposal to move lifeguards to FDNY

Neither NYC Parks nor the FDNY responded to CBS News New York's requests for comment.

A spokesperson for the Independent Budget Office sent a statement that reads, in part:

"Transferring lifeguards from the Department of Parks and Recreation to the FDNY would face several challenges, particularly concerning existing collective bargaining agreements governing the Lifeguard and Supervising Lifeguard positions.

Regarding whether such a move would provide lifeguards with an alternative career path, our preliminary findings suggest that there are former lifeguards now employed by the City in different titles and permanent (non-seasonal) positions. We cannot weigh in on how a change in the operating agency (Parks to FDNY) would alter any City career pathways for lifeguards."

IBO hopes to release the findings of this study later this year.

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