JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — You may be ready to say hello to the summer, but the City of Jacksonville is scrambling to make sure before you do, they have enough lifeguards hired to open every city pool.
This was a problem last summer and many pools remained closed. This year the city must fill hundreds more positions in the next month and a half.
The city's aquatics team says they only have about 75 lifeguards hired for this season. They need more than 300.
"Unfortunately, last year we had to minimize the amount of pools that we opened," said City of Jacksonville Aquatics Assistant Supervisor Kinsey Radloff. "We tried our best to open the pools in every area so that the neighborhood could still go to the pool, but it wasn't as great as the years past."
Last summer about a third of the city's pools stayed closed. This year Radloff says they only have a quarter of the number of lifeguards they need to open all 33 pools.
"To become a lifeguard you have to be at least 15 years old," Radloff said. "You'll go through a training class where you'll learn lifeguarding skills CPR, first aid, AED, and then we basically just prepare you and then you just go through a hiring class."
To be a lifeguard you have to be able to complete a 300-yard swim, tread water for two minutes without using your hands and retrieve a 10-pound brick from the bottom of a diving well, according to the city's website. Lifeguards make $14 an hour and managers make $16 an hour, Radloff says.
"We also offer a lot of programs like swim team and swim lessons that we've haven't been able to offer as much these past few years due to lifeguarding shortages," she said.
Radloff doesn't know what's causing the pool lifeguard shortage locally. Last summer the American Lifeguard Association blamed expiring certifications and less training resulting from the pandemic.
Radloff says to call the Jacksonville Parks Aquatics team at 904-255-6777 to learn how to apply for the job. Learn more about how you can get hired to be a lifeguard here.