Hot-Foot In The Summertime

Children’s playgrounds should be sanctuaries from neighborhood streets. For dozens of kids every summer though, they’ve become dangerous stopovers before visiting a hospital emergency room. Kids are getting burned. The black tiled mats which prevent slip and fall injuries have reached temperatures of 166.9 degrees. Swing seats have been clocked at 138 degrees. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe admitted that the mats get very hot but said they’re in use nationwide. Changing the mats to a more heat reflective color wouldn’t help much. According to Benepe, all New York City parks meet today's safety standards. They have signs posted to advise people to wear shoes. All of that sounds reasonable. One of the first things all kids learn is, “That’s hot! Don’t touch!” Remind them before they go out to play.