The implementation of a law passed two years ago to increase pool safety in the State of New York is very good news. It amends the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code to require pool alarms, approved by the Secretary of State, to be installed in all residential or commercial swimming pools constructed or substantially modified after December 14, 2006.
Pool alarms, properly installed, might have prevented two of the three pool drownings so far this summer.
While local laws often require barriers for residential pools, technology has produced several different types of pool alarms designed to sound a warning if a child falls into the water.
Alarms must be installed and not worn, capable of detecting a child entering the water and then giving an audible sound poolside and at another location on the premises where the swimming pool is located.
A pool alarm must be capable of detecting entry into the water at any point on the surface of the swimming pool. If necessary, more than one alarm must be installed.
More information regarding the types of alarms required can be found on the Department of State’s web site, https://www.dos.state.ny.us/code/pools.htm.
THE BAD …
With lightning speed, our friends at our favorite utility giant, Consolidated Edison, are moving toward increasing our summer electric bills by 22 percent over last year’s rates. The bulk of the imminent increase comes from the rising cost of wholesale electricity that Con Ed buys from power-generating companies for distribution.
Generating costs will increase by more than 16 percent from last summer. Natural gas and oil are used to power those plants and the utility is allowed to pass along those costs to its customers. Ouch!
… THE UGLY
The pervs next door.
The Supreme Court has struck down laws in South Carolina and Louisiana that would have allowed prosecutors to seek the death penalty for recidivist rapists of children younger than 12.
In virtually every neighborhood in the borough, child molesters, rapists and other registered convicted sex offenders live among us. They are across the street, down the block, near our schools, our churches and our playgrounds.
There are 23 registered sex offenders currently living in the Ozone Park/Howard Beach area alone according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Perverts are not easy to identity and are often people you would least suspect. They work as teachers, counselors, mentors and are even parents of other children.
We must find ways to punish the worst of these perverts and lock them up for life to keep our children safe.
