Lifeguard Shortage Continues

On our regular trips to the fine beaches of New York Gothamist has noticed that an awful lot of those fine beaches are often closed, even when lots of people seem interested in taking a dip. The reason for those closings, it turns out, has nothing to do with water pollution (unfortunately one of our first thoughts) and everything to do with the lifeguards. Despite beaches like Coney Island attracting over 9 million visitors a year the city still has problems filling those lifeguard chairs with properly trained personnel. Guarding a pool deck just isn't the same as guarding over rough surf. To make matters worse this summer's heat makes the beaches even more crowded then usual which makes the shortage more apparent.

Efforts are apparently underway to get more guards (old guards are being called, and some are getting out of summer school). In the meantime the Parks Department aims to have 75% of local beach front open on weekdays and 90% open on weekends. Gothamist certainly hopes they meet their goals.

Photograph by Michelle V. Agins for the New York Times

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By Garth Johnston in News on August 7, 2005 1:04 PM

Comments [rss]

Andrew

Why can't we give 1% of the city budget to our Parks Department so they can compete and attract quality lifeguards?!

Public Lifeguards’ salaries in New York City fall short of their counterparts in Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Chicago, San Diego, and Seattle. For example, Los Angeles starts its open water lifeguards at $18.40 an hour, compared to New York’s starting pay of $10.08. On the East Coast, Miami pays $12 an hour in starting salary, Boston $12.27.

Glenn

A few years ago I checked with the city about lifeguarding on weekends, which I thought would be possible due to my experience as a beach lifeguard in California. I was told the city hires only full-time lifeguards and not part-time, weekend lifeguards.

And no, working at a beach is a lot different than working at a pool. For starters, the lifeguard needs to be familiar with the beach and water conditions, needs to be a much stronger swimmer and needs to know how to paddle on and use a rescue board to aid a swimmer. It's a much more intense job than being at a pool. The pay in California can be good and there's an entire lifeguard community/society there. I haven't detected anything similar here, which could be part of the problem.

Jack

It's amazing how much this city has changed in 20 years. When I was in high school and college, it was pretty much a given that there would be peers going out for life-guard training. The pay was okay and on-par with the real world. And it was a right of passage for some.

Now, 20 years later there's a shortage and the lifeguards are even imported from Europe and other countries as part of a foreign exchange program.

I don't get it.

garth

I've seen that too, though not there, but those lifeguards still couldn't solve the problem. Lifeguards at a beach need more training, apparently, than lifeguards at a pool...

rio

at the public pool at sunset park, brooklyn, it seems like there are about two times as many lifeguards as there need to be... half of them just wander around and flirt with each other. and then they close the pool for an hour lunch break! maybe they should reevaluate how many lifeguards are really necessary at the public pools.