Resolution 41: Recognizing Lifeguards as First Responders
The following is a breakdown and background of a proposition to classify open water lifeguards as first responders federally. Those who work in the profession will know this to be a common sense request after having worked the strenuous duties of lifeguarding. Please find out more with the timeline of this proposition as written out by Matthew Giachetti to get some background and help support!
The following is the timeline from Day 1 to today for the birth of House Concurrent Resolution 41 (H Con Res 41) to the launch of the VoterVoice initiative to get H Con Res 41 across the finish line.
March 2021 –
While getting ready for the start of the Lifeguard Season here in Monmouth County, NJ, I realized that most of the Lifeguards had never had the chance, if they chose, to get the COVID Vaccination. Due to the seasonal work of Open Water Lifeguards on most of the East Coast, many are teachers, students, etc, and were not eligible to receive the vaccination if desired. Several of us worked with private agencies and county governments to schedule vaccination sites for Lifeguards prior to the start of the season. Most contact that a Lifeguard would have with someone in danger would expose them to possible viruses.
August 2021 –
After the deaths of two teenage Lifeguards in New Jersey in August 2021, I contacted the NJ Chief of Staff for Congressman Christopher Smith, to discuss the Congressman backing the idea of having Lifeguards recognized in the federal definition as “Emergency Response Providers” (the proper name for a First Responder). I got the idea because Emergency Dispatchers were just added to the federal definition as Emergency Response Providers. Emergency Dispatchers are the first line of defense any time someone calls 9-1-1, and it is such a complex, difficult job that these professionals due every day. One thought I had was since Emergency Dispatchers were named in the federal definition, why not Lifeguards, who have physical contact with people in danger every day.
November 2021 –
With the backing of the USLA, John “Chip” More, the Legal Advisor to the USLA, (Chip has been working with me since the idea came to me) and I drafted a letter to be sent to Congressman Smith’s office, explaining our desire to have Lifeguards recognized in the federal definition as “Emergency Response Providers”. That letter was sent on November 12, 2021.
April 2023 –
On April 24, 2023, Congressman Chris Smith introduced House Concurrent Resolution 41 to the floor of the US House of Representatives. Now our job became to get Congressional Support across the country for this resolution to have it passed. We started that journey and received support from both sides of the aisle in many coastal states.
March 2024 –
After discussions with Congressman Smith’s Washington DC office, we were told that congressional support means that we need to procure Congressional Co-Sponsors. We had to start all over to go get those Co-Sponsors. In a short period of time, with the help of several people, including Mike Scanlon, a retired NYPD and fellow Lifeguard from NY, we were able to secure 5 Co-Sponsors. The Congressman’s office stated that we needed at least 25 to 30 Co-Sponsors.
July 2024 –
On July 8, 2024, the Newark Star-Ledger does a story on the drive for H Con Res 41 and the desire to having Lifeguards recognized in the federal definition as “Emergency Response Providers”. In mid-July, the Marketing and Creative Teams for Fox Networks new show Rescue: HI-Surf, through an internet search H Con Res 41. They contacted me, and the past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of movement on our initiative. A partnership between Fox and the USLA was created to support each other in the passing of H Con Res 41, and for support of the new show Rescue: HI-Surf.
On July 25, 2024 the AFT, American Federation of Teachers, whose union supports teachers, healthcare workers and public service workers, voted unanimously to adopt and support H Con Res 41, bringing their 1.7 million members to the support H Con Res 41.
August 2024 –
August 5, 2024, the VoterVoice initiative to have H Con Res 41 passed, starts. Fox will be at the Manasquan Lifeguard Tournament today to get people to send their support to the Congressional leaders through Brand Ambassadors from Fox getting people to sing up through VoterVoice.
-Matthew Giachetti
