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A national lifeguard shortage may be hampering summer plans.
Public pools and beaches are in danger of becoming dangerously understaffed as more people quit their jobs as lifeguards due to job shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the pandemic “completely wiped out the qualifications of a certified lifeguard,” said Bernard J. Fischer II, director of health and safety at the Lifeguard Association. Axios.
Although pandemic restrictions have eased, trained lifeguards have not returned to duty, and safety concerns could force public water playgrounds to close.of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported an increase in non-fatal water casualties since 2020.
Wyatt Warness, a spokesperson for the National Lifeguard Association, said: “There is a severe national lifeguard shortage, with more than half of the more than 309,000 parks and pools (in the country combined) closed or with reduced hours. let’s,” he said. fox business.
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Warness, who was a lifeguard chief in Brevard County, Fla. more than a decade ago, said of the scale that more than 100 people applied for two beach lifeguard positions that were open at the time. However, he said only two of the 50 positions needed to be filled this year were in training. NPR in an interview.
The change is likely due to the rigorous training and responsibilities required to become a lifeguard, as well as low wages, the newspaper said. The average salary for a lifeguard in the US is between $9.72 and $22.18 an hour. that’s right report.
Still, salary may not be the main culprit. New York City has raised lifeguard salaries by 9% and added sign-on bonuses, but the big city reportedly has only a third of the lifeguards needed for public beaches and pools. CBS news.
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Other major cities such as Indianapolis, Phoenix and Philadelphia have also taken the lead in increasing wages and training.
But while cities are starving for lifeguards, Warness warns that the job comes with great responsibility.
“This is more than just a summer job,” Warness told CBS. “Lifeguards have the unique advantage of letting people know there is danger and keeping them away from it.”