A 14-year old boy, a non-swimmer, drowned at a swimming lake in New Jersey. It’s a terrible tragedy. But this astounded me: Staff at the pool underwent crisis counseling, said police officer Brian Pullman and Village Manager James Ten Hoeve.

Crisis counseling? For lifeguards? Did they ask for this nonsense, or were they forced to endure it? Must every adversity in one’s life be guided by counselors? Is nobody able to navigate life without “expert“ assistance?

For the record, I was in the middle of a failed rescue at the very same facility 30 years ago. We performed CPR on the body for 15-20 minutes, not knowing how long it had been underwater. Additionally, in my youth I had friends or acquintances die of the following causes: drunk driving, suicide, leukemia, rock climbing accident, and drug overdose. Not once were “crisis counselors” sent in, nor were they required.

I imagine these counselors did more to accomodate the politicians need to “do something” than it helped the lifeguards, who knew a tragic drowning is always an eyeblink away.

Meanwhile, while Ridgewood, NJ was sending in counselors over its third drowning in 30 years, New York lifeguards were dealing with four deaths and three disappearances in two days, and 10 people were struck by lightning in the region. The New York area crisis counselors are going to have their hands full.