FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Bill would keep Queens
pools & beaches open longer
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@qns.com
@A_GiudiceReport
Th e City Council doesn’t want the summer
season in Queens to end too soon.
Last week, the City Council passed a bill
that would permanently extend the city’s
public pool and beach season by an extra
week aft er Labor Day, which means Queens
residents can take advantage of the borough’s
seven outdoor public pools and
Rockaway Beach for a little longer each year.
Councilman Mark Levine — who
chairs the Parks Committee — previously
introduced a bill (Intro. 629) to the City
Council and was able to secure an additional
$1.7 million in the fi scal year 2017
budget for this year’s extended beach and
pool season.
“For millions of New Yorkers who can’t
aff ord to vacation in the Hamptons or
take a cruise in the Caribbean, the city’s
public beaches and pools off er exceptional
summer recreation opportunities right
here in the fi ve boroughs — accessible for
the cost of a MetroCard and free to enter
for anyone,” Levine said. “From Orchard
Beach to the Rockaways, the city’s 14
miles of free public beaches and 53 outdoor
pools are an invaluable resource for
those looking to stay cool when the summer
Photo courtesy of New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
The City Council voted to keep the city’s public pools and beaches open a little longer each year.
heat doesn’t just stop on Labor Day.”
Th is new bill guarantees money for lifeguards,
maintenance workers and other
park staff that are required to keep the
public beaches and pools open for another
week.
Th e NYC Parks Department — which
operates the city’s public beaches and
pools — announced that these public
spaces are becoming more and more popular,
as they saw nearly 18 million visitors
last year, with an estimated 22 percent
more people heading to the beaches compared
to the previous year.
Th e City Council agreed, voting 46-0
to pass Intro. 629. Th e bill now awaits
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature.
“New York City’s public pools and
beaches are an essential part of our summer
season. Th ey’re places where millions
of New Yorkers from all diff erent backgrounds
gather with friends and family
to keep cool during hottest months of the
year,” said Public Advocate Letitia James.
“Extending the season gives us extra time
to safely splash, swim and play together,
while being protected by lifeguards and
other park staff . Th is extra week is a gift
to our great city, the people of New York,
and all of our visitors.”
Firefi ghters
help save 10
in south Qns.
house fi re
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Quick-thinking fi refi ghters helped
rescue nearly a dozen people aft er a
fi re tore through a South Jamaica home
early on Friday morning.
According to Fire Department
sources, the two-alarm inferno ignited
at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 8 on the fi rst fl oor
of 123-60 147th St. Firefi ghters from
Ladder Company 155 responded to the
scene as the fi re was making its way to
the second fl oor of the residence.
“We had reports of children trapped
upstairs and there was heavy fi re
pushing out on the fi rst fl oor when
we arrived,” said FDNY Lieutenant
Brendan Corrigan of Ladder 155 in
a statement on Facebook. “We heard
screaming so my members quickly
made a push up the interior stairs past
the fi re on the fi rst fl oor.”
Corrigan said that his team split up
to search the building; he found one of
the victims “hunkered down behind a
closed door in the middle room.”
“Once I found them, I transmitted a
10-45 (a signal that is given immediately
upon the discovery of a patient with
fi re-related injuries),” Corrigan added,
“and with the help of Engine 302, who
knocked down the fi re and proceeded
up to assist, we made our way out the
house safely with the patients.”
In all, 10 people were injured from
the fi re. Medics transported one civilian
victim to Cornell Medical Center in
critical condition and four civilian victims
to Jamaica Hospital, two with serious,
non-life-threatening injuries and
two with minor injuries. Five fi refi ghters
were treated at local medical facilities
for minor injuries.
According to a tweet released by the
FDNY, there were no smoke detectors
at the location. Th e blaze was brought
under control at about 4:15 a.m., Fire
Department sources said.
Legionnaires scare at Lindenwood apartments
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Th e city’s Health Department is monitoring
two apartment buildings in
Howard Beach aft er two individuals contracted
Legionnaires’ disease in the past
year.
Community Board 10 posted on its
Facebook page a Sept. 5 letter from the
Health Department to the tenants residing
at 84-10 and 84-20 153rd Ave. in the
Lindenwood section of Howard Beach.
“Th e Health Department is currently
investigating two cases of Legionnaires’
disease at building complex in Howard
Beach, Queens, that occurred within
a 10-month period. While the risk of
infection to tenants is very low, as part
of the routine protocol to assess potential
sources of Legionnaires’ disease, the
Health Department is working with the
building management to test the building’s
water supply,” according to a Health
Department statement.
Persons with compromised immune
systems — especially adults aged 50 or
older and those with chronic lung disease
— are considered the most vulnerable to
the illness. Typically, there are between
200 and 400 cases of Legionnaires’ disease
citywide every year.
Th is is the third such episode of
Legionnaires’ disease cases at Queens
apartment buildings this year. Previous
illnesses occurred at the Latimer Houses
in Flushing and a Rego Park apartment
house. Two Legionnaires’ cases were
reported from the Lindenwood apartment
houses, which prompted the Health
Department to launch an investigation
and notify the public.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of bacterial
pneumonia; people usually become
infected while inhaling water vapor or
mist from showers, faucets or cooling
towers that contain the Legionella bacteria.
Symptoms include a fever, chills,
coughing and muscle aches. Th e Health
Department advises any resident who
develop such symptoms to seek medical
attention right away; Legionnaires’ disease
can be treated with antibiotics.
Th e Health Department advises those
at a higher risk of being infected with
Legionnaires’ to take the following precautions:
Avoid taking a shower, as it could create
mist. Instead, take a bath, but fi ll the
tub slowly and minimize your time in the
bathroom while the faucet is running.
When washing dishes, fi ll the kitchen
sink slowly to avoid creating mist.
Drinking cold water is safe, but always
heat water on the stove or in the microwave
for consumption.
Residents at the two Lindenwood buildings
will be provided updates as needed.
Anyone with questions is asked to call the
Health Department’s Community Aff airs
Unit at 347-396-4161.
Photo via Twitter/@FDNY
Photo via Google Maps
The Health Department is investigating two Legionnaires’ disease cases at apartment buildings in
the Lindenwood section of Howard Beach.