Family, friends, colleagues and supporters recently braved the bitter cold, not only to pay homage to the late Jazmin Jefferson but to demand that the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) takes the proper steps to prevent future deaths.
A vigil on the tennis courts at Hearst Recreation Center and Pool in Northwest brought together dozens who interacted with Jefferson during various points in her life, including when she attended School Without Walls in Northwest and throughout her lifeguard career.
Jefferson, a 21-year-old DPR lifeguard, died on Dec. 23 at Howard University Hospital in Northwest. Her death shed light on what some former DPR employees call a lifeguard shortage and missteps DPR has taken as a result.
Three weeks prior, Jefferson suffered a medical emergency and fell in the pool while on lifeguard duty at Roosevelt Aquatic Center. According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) report, Jefferson was submerged in the pool for seven minutes before a woman rescued her and performed CPR.
Family members told The Informer that doctors connected the medical emergency to Brugada syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes cardiac arrest.
The Nov. 29 incident left Jefferson with what family members described as substantial brain damage. They’ve since demanded accountability for DPR while questioning the whereabouts of other DPR staff members that night and whether the pool had been fully staffed.
The Jan. 13 vigil provided ample opportunity to continue doing so.
Idalia Granados, a former DPR employee and Jefferson’s onetime co-worker, struggled to hold back tears as she expressed her disappointment in DPR.
“I wish that DPR could hold up its end of the bargain,” Granados said. “That didn’t happen when it came to Jazmin. I’m glad that I got to know her. I’m really sorry for her family. I want everyone to keep her family in their prayers and know that she was a bright light in everyone’s life.”
Granados reflected on Jefferson’s memory.
Director Freeman Speaks
DPR Director Thennie Freeman told The Informer that, since Jefferson’s medical emergency, DPR staff received trauma counseling and higher-ups within the agency started examining protocols to ascertain the need for systemic improvements.
Freeman declined to reveal the status of that process as it relates to the events of Nov. 29.
Though she also declined to specify whether Camila Rezende Salgado (identified in an MPD report as the person who rescued Jefferson from the pool) was a DPR employee, she told The Informer that there were no patrons at Roosevelt Aquatic Center during Jefferson’s medical emergency.
Freeman told The Informer that the number of lifeguards on duty at each pool and aquatic center varies based on the size of the pool area and census data collected by DPR. She went on to reference DPR protocol that prohibits pools and aquatic centers from operating without at least two lifeguards on duty.
Lifeguards, Freeman said, are dually certified as lifeguards and pool operators, with each of them alternating their role in 20-, 30- or 40-minute intervals while on duty. Pool operators test chlorine levels every hour, Freeman said, while lifeguards sit in the chair.
At indoor pools, where lifeguards aren’t in the sun, the alternation between roles often happens every 45 minutes, Freeman said. The frequency, she added, also depends on situations that the pool operator encounters, such as chlorine levels being too high or too low, patrons defecating in the pool, or the appearance of debris.
“We won’t open if we have less than two [lifeguards],” Freeman said.
“We will wait and we won’t open the facility without ensuring the appropriate staffing is there,” she continued. “People have emergencies. If you’re scheduled to be there and you’re not, we wouldn’t open. We’ll wait until someone is able to come from another site.”
Freeman, who decried notions of a lifeguard shortage as speculation, said DPR currently has more than 100 certified lifeguards working at 11 pools and aquatic centers. She went on to tell The Informer that DPR has maintained this lifeguard workforce for years.
This is especially the case during the summer months, she said, when the number of open pools and aquatic centers more than triples. In December, DPR hosted a hiring fair for summer employees, Freeman told The Informer.
As explained in a previous Informer story, DPR lifeguards receive their licensure through Jeff Ellis & Associates, Inc., a DPR vendor for more than five years. The licensure process, Freeman said, includes a physical agility test. Once fully onboarded, DPR lifeguards participate in monthly service training during which they swim to the bottom of the pool and pull out heavy items.
Some DPR lifeguards, Freeman said, are D.C. residents who, long before their employment within DPR, learn to swim in DPR programs like D.C. Wave, a year-round competitive swimming program, Aqua Day Camp and the Lifeguard Training Academy for D.C. residents who are 16 years and older.
In regard to lifeguards’ pre-existing conditions, Freeman noted that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known as HIPAA, places the onus on lifeguards to disclose such information. Those who do so, Freeman said, submit medical documentation and receive temporary accommodations while DPR’s human resources department conducts an investigation to determine if the accommodations would become permanent.
All in all, Freeman told The Informer that she prioritizes her staff’s well-being. “I appreciate the staff. It’s not an easy job,” Freeman said. “The work is not easy. At all times, they’re required to be on and they’ve demonstrated that they’ve been able to serve the public at the highest capacity.”
Community Members Cement Jazmin Jefferson’s Legacy
At the time of her death, Jefferson was gelling together plans to reenroll in college. Per family members, she wanted to attend medical school and have a large family of her own.
For more than an hour on Jan. 13, mourners stood before a microphone to reflect on Jefferson’s life and legacy. Per Jade Jefferson, Jefferson’s older sibling, Jefferson enjoyed working at Hearst and grew in the profession while there.
On the tennis courts at Hearst, several candles encircled a framed photo of Jefferson while purple and white balloons lined the periphery. Dierdre Harris, Jefferson’s mother, sang a musical number that night after announcing that Jefferson’s aunt, in honor of Jefferson, secured the designation of a star, coordinates 14 16 43.1 19 05 04.1, in the International Space Registry.
Mourners later lit candles and released balloons and Chinese lanterns, all while chanting “Justice for Jazmin!”
Early on in the vigil, Paul Coppola, a DPR patron, expressed gratitude to Jefferson for taking her job seriously and keeping guard over his life.
“I am totally heartbroken,” Coppola said. “I want to thank Jazmin for protecting me when I was at the pool. She is now with God infinitely happy and with us all the time. You will see Jazmin sometime again in Heaven. God bless Jazmin.”
Earl Johnson, Jefferson’s coworker and friend, told a story about how Jefferson changed his standoffish disposition with nothing but her willingness to acknowledge him. He later read a poem titled, “Gift of God.”
“I could see the light in Jazmin’s eyes that we tend to have as young people,” Johnson said. “She approached me with such kindness. You don’t get that nowadays. The thought that went through my head was ‘What a nice person. She had the courage to come up to someone in that way.’ I wish that more people could be like that.”
Dragon Granberry, a School Without Walls alumnus, said Jefferson provided a great example to others about setting a goal and taking the steps to fulfill it. “She could save up for anything,” Granberry said. “Jazmin was part of my growth and to know I won’t be able to give back is bad. This happened due to negligence. I don’t want this to happen again.’
Jade Jefferson expressed similar thoughts as she reflected on her younger sister’s penchant for sharing “unadulterated love” and not shying away from the truth.
“Jazmin didn’t die in vain,” Jefferson said. “The manner in which she died is a public safety issue. If DPR can’t protect its employees, how can they protect their patrons who pay for these services?”
In her remarks, Mercedes Maynard-Randall, Jefferson’s onetime manager, issued a charge to the vigil attendees, many of whom were DPR employees and patrons.
“Don’t worry about the retaliation. Worry about your safety,” Maynard-Randall said. “It doesn’t stop here. It’s going to keep going. It can’t happen again. Sometimes we don’t have the staff to open up amenities at the pool. So bear with them. If you see two guards, ask questions. This is a call for everyone who works in DPR and DPR management and the mayor’s office to make safety a priority.”