The summer season is about to sizzle and the lifeguard pool in the metro area is in need of a big splash: Lifeguards are in demand.
“We’re having problems recruiting, as is most everyone in our region,” said Amanda Harrison, a Wheat Ridge spokesperson.
Anderson Pool, the city’s outdoor pool, opened May 27, but two indoor pools, located at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, are closed because of the lifeguard shortage. Wheat Ridge currently has about 40 lifeguards on staff, mostly part-time staff, and the city is looking to hire another 50. To attract new lifeguards, Wheat Ridge is offering a $300 signing bonus, and an additional $100 bonus at the end of the summer season. Hourly starting pay is $17.50. A free pass to city recreation and parks facilities is also part of the offer.Lifeguard ranks were severely cut across the nation during the start and height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lifeguards Josephine Fields, of Denver, left, and Maxwell Hoffman, of Denver, right, keep an eye on swimmers in the pool at the Carla Madison Recreation Center in Denver on Friday, June 2, 2023. Fields has been a lifeguard for one year and Hoffman has been a lifeguard for just over four years. Nationwide, there are more than 309,000 public pools, with about 50% impacted with reduced hours or closures because of lifeguard shortages, Wyatt Werneth, spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association, told NPR.org.
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