Lifeguard Shortage Affecting Public Swimming Pools

Experts say that a lifeguard shortage could affect a third of nationwide public pools. The ongoing staffing shortages are causing many swimming pools around the nation to shorten operation hours and in some cases close earlier this swim season, according to the the American Lifeguard Association.

There are shortages in practically every sector relating to swimming pools, so why should lifeguards be any different? The labor shortages this country is experiencing can be felt everywhere; from convenience stores to restaurants, to your local community swimming pool.

With a massive heat wave gripping many parts of the nation, having public pools closed due to lifeguard shortages couldn’t come at a worse time. It’s a problem that looks as if it will persist well past this swim season.

What is Causing a Shortage of Lifeguards?

Here are the key factors. The first is that lifeguard certification classes were suspended in the early stages of the pandemic, which prevented new lifeguards from being trained and prevented those who already held certification from renewing it. Second, when pools were closed, many lifeguards found better-paying professions and ultimately chose not to come back to work. Staffing these empty positions has been slow going.

Finally, foreign work permits like J-1 were suspended as of June 2020 as a measure to safeguard the public’s health during the pandemic. According to Bernard J. Fisher, director of health and safety for the American Lifeguard Association, many lifeguard positions in the United States have been held by young people with J-1 visas for the past 20 years.

What is Being Done During The Lifeguard Shortage?

Limiting the amount of time a pool is open and requiring swimming teachers to double as lifeguards are a couple of solutions being implemented. In Raleigh, North Carolina, half of the cities eight public pools are closed, and those that are open have shorter hours. Still more will just opt to close earlier this summer. The Raleigh City Council recently approved raising the hourly wage for lifeguards from $9.25 to $13 in the hopes that more people would apply.

The New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, which manages the city’s parks and pools, has increased lifeguard pay to $15.91 an hour from just under $12 an hour last year, but the strategy didn’t work. This summer, only five of the city’s 13 seasonal pools will be open.

Private businesses are so desperate for workers that they have begun offering incentives and increasing hourly salaries. Lifeguards at Six Flags St. Louis can earn up to $18 per hour, with an annual incentive of $500.

Lifeguard Shortage Not Just Isolated to Pools

If pools are closed, families will go swimming somewhere else, such as rivers or lakes without lifeguards, according to some safety experts. The situation is creating a public health crisis for recreational water areas like public beaches which are also subject to early closures or going without lifeguards due to ongoing staffing issues.

“It’s the worst we’ve ever seen it,” said Bernard J. Fisher II, director of health and safety at the American Lifeguard Association. “People are still going to swim, and drownings are going to spike like they did last year,” said Fisher.

“So many times, groups think that someone else is watching, but in fact, no one’s watching,” Fisher said. He also indicated that this summer it’s especially important to keep a watch on children and anyone who isn’t a good swimmer right now. Fisher told news sources that families and groups should appoint someone to be a “water watcher,” making it that persons job to monitor the pool area and make sure everyone is safe.

Many facilities that are keeping their doors open have had to cancel swim lessons and put their teachers to work as lifeguards; further complicating the issue of training new personnel. “If we don’t keep training new lifeguards all summer, it’s going to be a long time before we get out of this,” Mr. Fisher said.