Gothamist: Lifeguard Shortage Continues

Andrew

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:14:52 -0500

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

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 16:39:55 -0500

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

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:57:37 -0500

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

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:26:04 -0500

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

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 13:52:43 -0500

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.