Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 28 - The Indian EYE 042426
P. 28

    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                  APRIL 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 28

                           New York City Marks 50 Years of

               Window Safety, Celebrating Hundreds of

                                           Children’s Lives Saved

               As Weather Gets Warmer and Windows Begin to Open, New York City is Continuing to

                       Raise Awareness About How to Protect Our Littlest New Yorkers from Falls

            OUR BUREAU
            NEW YORK, NY

                 ifty years ago, New York City introduced a
                 law that would quietly transform child safe-
            Fty  in  urban  housing.  By  requiring  window
            guards in apartments where children under 10 live,
            the  city  became  the  first  in  the  United  States  to
            adopt such a measure—one that has since proven
            remarkably effective in preventing fatal accidents.
                Before the law’s introduction in 1976, the scale
            of the problem was stark. Hundreds of children fell
            from apartment windows each year, with 24 deaths
            recorded in that year alone. Within less than three
            years  of  implementation,  falls  dropped  by  more
            than  50  percent  across  the  city.  The  long-term
            impact has been even more striking: in 2025, only
            four falls were reported, none of them fatal.
                This  dramatic  shift  has  been  attributed  not
            just to legislation, but to sustained awareness and
            enforcement. Agencies including the NYC Health
            Department, the Department of Housing Preser-
            vation and Development (HPD), and the Admin-
            istration for Children’s Services (ACS) have con-
            tinued  to  educate  families  about  the  importance
            of window guards. Most recently, ACS launched    Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Lei-  stallation and enforcement.
            a  campaign  titled  “Tiny  Moments,  Big  Safety,”  la Bozorg echoed this sentiment, calling the law   Under the law, building owners of properties
            spreading awareness across subways, bus shelters,  “a  particularly  tangible  example  of  how  building  with three or more residential units must install
            and online platforms.                        safety measures can protect New Yorkers’ health.”  approved window guards or limiting devices in any
                Mayor  Zohran  Kwame  Mamdani  described  She described the past five decades as a “quiet but  apartment where a child aged 10 or younger re-
            the law as a foundational element of urban safety.  transformational change,” underscoring the role of  sides. These devices prevent windows from open-
            “Every New Yorker has the right to a safe home,  housing policy in safeguarding public health.  ing more than 4.5 inches and must be installed on
            but adequate maintenance is especially critical for   Public health officials also stress how dramat-  all windows except those designated as emergency
            the safety of our youngest neighbors,” he said. “For  ically the situation has improved. NYC Health  exits. Property owners are also required to install
            50 years, New York’s window guard law has quietly  Commissioner Alister Martin said, “Hundreds of  guards upon tenant request, even if no children live
            saved countless lives.” He urged residents to take  New  Yorkers  are  alive  today  thanks  to  50  years  in the apartment.
            responsibility, adding, “If you need window guards,  of  requiring  building  owners  to  install  window   The  responsibility  extends  beyond  individual
            or if something in your apartment doesn’t feel safe,  guards.” He noted that while it may seem routine  units. If a building houses at least one child under
            reach out to your landlord—or call 311.”     today, “there was once a time when hundreds of  10, window guards must also be installed in all public
                Officials emphasize that the success of the law  children fell… and many, unfortunately, died.”  area windows. Tenants, in turn, are expected to co-
            lies in its simplicity. Deputy Mayor for Health and  The decline to just four non-fatal falls in 2025, he  operate by allowing access for installation and ensur-
            Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga noted that  said, reflects “the quiet, often invisible, ways that  ing that guards are not removed or tampered with.
            “sensible policy and operational solutions that ad-  public health keeps us safe.”            Enforcement  is  carried  out  primarily  by
            dress everyday issues… can have major impacts on   Despite this progress, risks remain, often tied  HPD, which responds to complaints and conducts
            the lives of New Yorkers.” She highlighted that the  to non-compliance. Of the four falls reported in  inspections.  Between  July  2024  and  June  2025,
            law reduced fatal falls among children by 50 per-  2025, two were due to improperly installed devices  the agency received 2,663 complaints related to
            cent within three years and pointed out that “last  and two occurred where no window guards were  window guards and issued more than 7,045 viola-
            year… there were zero fatal falls.” Reflecting on  present. In the current year, two falls have already  tions requiring installation or repair. When prop-
            the milestone, she added that it demonstrates how  been reported under similar circumstances, though  erty owners fail to act, HPD’s Emergency Repair
            “large-scale  change  starts  by  believing  no  task  is  neither resulted in serious injury. These incidents  Program steps in to ensure compliance and pro-
            too small.”                                  highlight the continued importance of proper in-  tect residents.

                                                                   www.TheIndianEYE.com

| 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 |