As summer approaches, there's a growing concern that public swimming pools across the U.S. might be closed or or their hours curtailed due to an ongoing lifeguard shortage.
According to the American Lifeguard Association, this happened at about a third of the country's public pools last year.
Here in New York, efforts are underway to address the lack of lifeguards. Gov. Kathy Hochul even mentioned it during her state of the state address in 2024.
"If it's reached the level of the governor's office, then you know we have a problem," said Bill Wright, commissioner of Ontario County's Department of Public Works.
Wright estimates up to 70 lifeguards will be needed for the beaches and community pools across Ontario County this year. To try to attract more applicants, the county is participating in a state-funded program that reimburses the costs of lifeguard training and certification, which can run as high as $300.
Wright says that in recent years, they've had to limit swimming at local beaches and public pools because there weren't enough lifeguards on staff.
"This grant program may not be here for a long time, but at least maybe we can get everybody thinking about it and looking at this as a good summer job," he added.
The pay range for the positions available now is $20 to $26 per hour. Job listings can be found at ontario-portal.mycivilservice.com/jobopps. Applicants must be at least 15 years old.
