Public Employee Press

Everyday Hero
Lifeguard Javier Rodriguez

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

When Javier Rodriguez was a lanky teen hanging out at Hamilton Fish Park swimming pool, he never imagined that becoming a New York City Lifeguard would save his life.

But on July 18, as New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe singled him out for an Employee of the Month award, Mr. Rodriguez credited the Lifeguard program as the life-altering experience that pulled him from perilous Lower East Side streets and anchored him into adulthood.

“To be recognized by the commissioner after 24 years of public service is a thrill and an honor,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “Being a Lifeguard taught me responsibility and how to conduct myself as an adult. The friendships I have made here have drastically affected my perspective and goals in life.”

While most of the young men Mr. Rodriguez grew up with fell victim to the streets, Mr. Rodriguez said his job as a Lifeguard on Manhattan Beach opened a “different world and exposed me to opportunities I never new existed.”

Through friendships forged while patrolling the shores and keeping beachcombers and swimmers safe, Mr. Rodriguez came to understand how far values, education, a measure of bravery and a sense of responsibility could take him.

His coworkers saw futures that included college and professional careers, and Mr. Rodriguez began to realize, “I could have that too.” After three years his pay rate equalled his father’s, “which was not necessarily a good thing,” he said. Mr. Rodriguez worked as a Lifeguard through four years of college and returned to NYC beaches each summer while completing law school in Houston, Texas.

Now a Borough Coordinator and member of NYC Lifeguard Supervisors Local 508, Mr. Rodriguez supervises a corps of 300 young men and women based at the seven-mile stretch of Rockaway Beach.

In Lifeguard training school, he teaches candidates First Aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and professional rescue procedures. The program provides more than 1,000 youths with summer jobs, and Mr. Rodriguez hopes some will follow his path. “This is a great summer job where I learned to balance good times with safety and responsibility,” said the veteran Lifeguard.

“What a unique and impressive gesture it was for Commissioner Benepe to recognize the important contribution DC 37 members make to this city,” said Peter Stein, Local 508 president. “We work hard to keep city pools and beaches safe. By honoring Mr. Rodriguez and others, the commissioner shows that he recognizes the valuable work of all DC 37 members,” he added.