Lynn and Revere public beaches are open through mid-week for hot weather relief, Â and Lynn’s Flax Pond splash pad will be open an additional hour — until 8 p.m. — over the next few days.
Lifeguards are posted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Revere Beach, but the state Department of Conservation and Recreation does not station guards along Lynn’s Kings Beach, said department spokesman Bill Hickey.
“We want people to be extra safe. This is the second heat wave, and it’s a five-day event,” he said.
Already a popular hot weather destination, the splash pad in Flax Playground off Chestnut Street, near the Broadway and Boston Street intersection, usually closes at 7 p.m. City officials said an extra hour of cooling is a good idea with temperatures close to 90 degrees or above extending into the weekend.
Other cool spots in Lynn include Lynn Common, with its shade trees extending along North and South Common streets and Heritage State Park, a tree-plentiful park near the water accessible by footbridge from the North Shore Community College campus.
Fire Chief James McDonald said firefighters take extra precautions during calls, including building alarm responses, to make sure residents are staying cool and drinking plenty of water.
“They are cognizant of how people are doing,” McDonald said.
Lynn Public Schools programs are continuing through this week, said school department spokesman Thomas Iarrobino. Local schools are not air conditioned, but teachers and administrators make sure children drink plenty of water.
The city opened a cooling station during the July 6 and 7 heat wave in the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute annex on Commercial Street. As of Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy had not given the order to reopen the annex.
Greater Lynn Senior Services workers also check on seniors who receive meal deliveries, personal care and other assistance to make sure they are staying cool. A hot weather safety list provided by the agency recommends people stay indoors during the hottest times of the day, drink water and avoid sugary drinks, caffeine or alcohol and check on older people and pets to make sure they are not overheated.
Heat illness warning signs, according to the list, include nausea, dizziness, throbbing headache and rapid heartbeat.
Lynn Police Lt. Christopher Kelly said that the police will work with the city and patrol any public cooling shelters that have been set up.
He also said that police get increased numbers of certain kinds of calls for street crime during the warm weather as more people spend time outside and in public, often at all hours of the night, and kids are out of school.
“Obviously when you have more people inundating an area, you get more potential for people to be a victim or a suspect in street crime,” Kelly said.
Burglaries can also increase as residents leave their homes or cars while taking summer vacations, Kelly said.
Noise complaints also increase, as more people spending time outside coincides with an increased number of open windows, Kelly said.
And yes, Kelly said, tempers can “flare up” along with the heat in an extended period of warm weather.
Saugus Fire Chief Donald Donald McQuaid reminded residents to make sure they stay hydrated and to check on any elderly neighbors. He also said children should never be left in the car for any reason.
“That’s a bad, bad thing,” he said. “Temperatures in the cars go way way up.”
Saugus Library Director Diane Wallace said the library’s first floor is “super cool” and urged everyone to stop by and relax.
“It’s beautiful in here,” she said. “We have a ton of new magazines, a lot of new books. Anybody that hasn’t been here in a while needs to come by, cool off and check us out. We go outside to warm up ”¦ It’s so cold.”
Wallace said people have already been stopping by to cool off.
“They all seem relieved,” she said. “They actually say it when they come in the door. We would love to see people come by and cool off. We have a lot of new movies ”¦ we have programs for the kids.”
Over in Nahant, Town Administrator Andrew Bisignani said the town isn’t doing anything specific to keep residents cool except keeping their many beaches open. Though there are no lifeguards at the town-owned beaches, Bisignani said walking police patrols keep the beaches safe. Long Beach, owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, is open from dawn until dusk and include lifeguard coverage.
Nahant Town Hall Administrative Assistant Mary Ellen Schuman said the town relies on its one crowd-pleasing cooling program that won’t quit: “We have cooling ocean breezes,” Schuman said.
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