Because of that shortfall, of the 18 pools that will be open this summer, only 15 will be open at any one time. Twelve pools will be open for June and July, while the other six will only be open for one of those months.
A $3,000 incentive program brought a boom in lifeguard applications to the city of Phoenix this year, but not enough lifeguards and pool managers to open more than 18 of the city’s 29 pools this summer.
“We went from zero to eight to 12 to 18, so yes there has been steady improvement and I think that we’ve been very open about our hiring struggles and the need for lifeguards and I think the community has responded and kind of bounced back from the pandemic,” said Adam Waltz, a Phoenix Parks and Recreation spokesperson.
“The reality is when pools were closed a lot of these kids and adults moved on to other jobs so we really don’t have that historic legacy set of lifeguards, so pools have to continually fight that,” Katchmari said. Such is the case for Phoenix, despite a boom in 2023 lifeguard applications following the summer incentive pay program, city pools still remain closed due to a shortage of experienced pool managers.
“Making sure we keep those lifeguards, retaining them and hopefully having them become pool managers and assistant managers, that’s really an area of focus for us,” Waltz said. Phoenix joined a number of cities across the U.S. last year, by offering a first-time $2,500 incentive to certified lifeguards ahead of the summer season. That was boosted to $3,000 this year, thanks to funding from the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department.
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