WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Two children collapsed while waiting in a long line for the McCarren Park pool on Friday afternoon.
The first child was a 12-year-old boy who became overwhelmed by the heat and passed out. Police were there immediately to attend to him. FDNY paramedics arrived within four minutes to help him cool down.
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As people entered the pool area in droves, the boy was moved into an ambulance on a stretcher. His family told PIX11 News he’ll likely be OK.
The unsettling incident seems to have been what it took for parks employees to begin moving people in faster.
In a statement, the Parks Department said it implemented a wristband system to allow people to find relief while they wait, and the pool turns over every 90 minutes.
“Our pools are experiencing high demand citywide. Earlier today, McCarren Pool reached full capacity while many patrons were still waiting on line,” a spokesperson for the department said. “Public pools are critical resources and we are committed to ensuring as many people as possible can find relief during this heat emergency at pools, spray showers, and cooling centers.”
Temperatures soared over 100 degrees on Friday for the second day in a row. New York City extended public pool hours to help locals cool down, and the lines outside McCarren showed that New Yorkers tried to do just that.
Pool-goers stood in line for around two hours to get inside the gates.
“I’m feeling very bored because I had to wait on this line for two hours,” one young swimmer told PIX11 News.