Kids climbing fences and splashing into closed public pools might look like harmless summer fun, but Baltimore officials say it is anything but. After video and eyewitness reports showed children breaking into shuttered pools this week, city leaders are warning residents that after-hours swims can quickly turn deadly when no lifeguards are on deck and emergency help is harder to reach. The warnings come as city-run pools transition from limited weekend hours to fuller summer schedules in mid-June.
Officials plead with neighbors to intervene
According to WBAL-TV 11, children were spotted Tuesday night climbing a fence at the Patterson Park swimming pool and leaping into the water, even dragging a posted "No Trespassing" sign into the pool with them. Nikki Cobbs, chief of aquatics for Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, said residents cannot just shrug and walk by.
City leaders often point to a chilling incident from last summer as proof that things can go wrong fast. Video shows a 25-year-old man nearly drowning at the Walter P. Carter pool after hours, when Baltimore police say their aviation unit happened to be nearby. As captured by WBAL-TV 11, "I'm putting the helicopter down in the field," Smith said over the police radio. "This guy looks like he's not breathing or moving. He's in cardiac arrest. Have a medic get here ASAP."
Officers landed the helicopter, rushed to the pool and performed CPR until first responders arrived. Police credited that quick chain of events with saving the man’s life and have repeatedly warned that most after-hours incidents will not have a helicopter conveniently overhead.
When pools will be open
City pools started June on a weekends-only schedule, but the season is about to ramp up. WBAL-TV 11 reports that six park pools are scheduled to move to a six-day-a-week schedule beginning June 16. Baltimore City budget documents note that the six-day rhythm is designed to leave one weekday open for maintenance while still giving residents more supervised swim time during the hottest stretch of the year. City officials say the expanded schedule is part of a broader push to keep pools adequately staffed and safe all summer.
How neighbors can help
Baltimore's Department of Recreation & Parks lays out its pool rules on the aquatics page, including requirements that children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, that visitors wear proper swim attire and that users create a CivicRec account before using facilities. Those guidelines are available at Baltimore City Recreation & Parks.
To keep watch over all that water, the department has been recruiting seasonal lifeguards and running free training clinics, efforts highlighted by CBS Baltimore. Officials say that combination of hiring, clear rules and neighbors speaking up when they see trouble is the best bet to avoid another close call or tragedy at a closed pool.
For now, city leaders are counting on watchful residents and stronger staffing to keep those late-night fence climbs from turning into the next emergency call.
