Lifeguard shortage could cause problems for summer season
Posted Jun 14, 2022 10:56:32 AM.
As the summer season fast approaches coupled with the ending of COVID restrictions, the demand for lifeguards is higher than ever. However, a shortage is affecting how many public pools and beaches can remain open this season.
Appearing on the Mike Farwell show, Barbara Byers, the public education director of the Lifesaving Society said the pandemic is to blame for the shortage of lifeguards.
“In 2020, when the pools shutdown, many of the staff were furloughed or they lost their jobs and they found other jobs with job security, and many have to choose to stay with those secure positions.”
The obvious answers would be to hire more people, but Byers said there is a problem slowing down that process.
“It's not enough to just put up a sheet up and say if you want to be a lifeguard we can hire you, you have to be qualified.”
Byers explained in order to be lifeguard you have to have pre-life-guarding courses, such as the bronze medallion, bronze cross, and first aid training courses. And then, your national lifeguard certification.
Byers said the national lifeguard certification has to be current and expires every two years, meaning anyone looking to be a lifeguard in 2022 after losing their job 2020, would have to take the certification course again.
Byers said because of the variety of skills needed to preform the duties of a lifeguard, new candidates need to be physically fit and strong swimmers.
She said currently employers are looking at competitive swimmers as a pool of candidates that would fit those aforementioned credentials, but they would still have to undergo the certification process and the national lifeguard course that takes 40 hours.
Byers said those trying to take the course often complete the 40 hours over a couple of weekends.
She said another issue brought on by the pandemic, is the training of younger kids that would normally become future lifeguards.
“The long term goal is to convince youth who are 12,13,14 to take their pre life-guarding courses, their bronze medallion, bronze cross, and first aid so that we fill the pipeline.”
She explained since the pandemic stopped that process, the lifeguard industry is struggling to get back up to speed.
She said all public pools and some beaches require a lifeguard to be present to operate, adding to the immediate need for new hires.
Byers said short term, the goal is to hire as many new lifeguards as possible to keep those pools open.
But long term, the goal is to get the pre-lifeguard youth programs up and running to allow for a fresh flow of potential candidates for future lifeguards.
