SOS: Lifeguards needed
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LEWISTOWN -- The lifeguard shortage that kept a third of the country's 309,000 public pools closed or open only part-time last year appears to have resurfaced in 2023, according to the American Lifeguard Association.
The swimming holes don't appear to be dry in Lewistown. At least, not yet.
Lewistown Borough Manager Kim Zimmerman said the borough is accepting applications for lifeguards to work at the Rec Park Pool this summer. While the pool has positions to fill, Zimmerman hasn't hit the panic button just yet.
"School's still open, so the kids don't start thinking about doing that (working as a lifeguard) until closer to May," Zimmerman explained. "We have some - I think about 10. Most of the ones from last year are coming back."
No matter how many guards the pool has, Zimmerman pledges it will be open this summer.
Last year, the borough posted warnings on social media that the pool might not open due to inadequate staffing because there weren't enough lifeguards.
The ALA believes the shortage could be "as bad as last year, or worse for this year," said spokesman B.J. Fisher in a report. Fisher believes agencies and businesses who hire lifeguards to man their pools might have to change their approach to solve the shortage.
"Unless we start looking differently at lifeguarding, not as young teenagers who don't have to pay rent or buy food, but as a career, we will have a shortage," Fisher stated.
That approach seemingly wouldn't work for everyone, including the Rec Park Pool. Zimmerman said the pool expects to lose money this season with seasonal guards. The borough has already increased wages to attract guards.
How did this happen?
Lifeguards must requalify biennially, but a couple years of social distancing during the pandemic meant fewer training opportunities for either become a lifeguard or to recertify.
Typically, about 300,000 new candidates are trained each year. Most guards are high school or college students who work during the summer then eventually move on to a full-time job.
There was a shortage prior to the pandemic, but many pools turned to workers outside the country to fill positions. When those workers' visas were suspended during the pandemic, it was "the straw in the camel's back that broke everything down," Fisher explained.
How are pools
responding?
Agencies and businesses have increased wages and offer other incentives like paying for training or certification.
The Juniata Valley YMCA will cover training costs but asks the guard for a work commitment in return.
"Everyone is hiring everywhere," Juniata Valley YMCA Programs and Aquatics Director Stacey Falkner said. "I don't know a single Y not searching for guards.
"It's definitely been worse since the pandemic, but always an issue for non-profits in general," she added.
Falkner said the Y could use daytime guards for summer, which could be alleviated once school lets out. Also, the Y has a more immediate need for evening and weekend guards for May.
Without guards, pools could be forced to close or reduce hours, which is an option that neither the Rec Park nor YMCA pools favor.
However, cutting hours is exactly what the Central Juniata Park Pool in Mifflin has had to do at times, said Pool President Don Bratton. "Last year, we were a little bit short. Then we hired three kids in the middle of the summer and that got us through."
He explained finding guards can be tricky because high school students usually attend camps for extracurricular activities and college students leave before Labor Day, which is typically when pool season ends.
"We had to curtail our hours the last couple weeks of August," Bratton said. "It's a struggle more than it used to be."
He is optimistic about the upcoming season.
"I think there's only one not coming back," Bratton said. "But I don't know of any new ones. A couple who were interested reached out to us through our Facebook page."
The pool operates mainly on donations and gate receipts, so it can't offer high salaries.
At the Veterans Memorial Pool in McClure, the outlook is positive as several guards and concession stands workers are expected to return from last year.
"At this time, it doesn't appear that we are (short-staffed)," said Adam Ewig, president of the pool board. "Our applications are due April 7."
In the meantime, Ewig is keeping his fingers crossed as time "will tell the tale," he said.