Lifeguard staffing strong in Butler County
Some community pools in Butler County are fully staffed with lifeguards in the face of a national shortage.
Although the pandemic saw fewer lifeguard recruits, representatives from area pools — Alameda Waterpark in Butler Township, EDCO Pool in Evans City, Town Park Pool in Seven Fields and Cranberry Township Waterpark in Cranberry Township — said pool operations are running smoothly this year as increased hourly pay and proactive recruitment attracted enough lifeguards in time for the summer season.
The Seven Fields pool, EDCO Pool and Cranberry Township Waterpark opened their doors last week. Alameda Waterpark, which is run by the county, is set to open Saturday, June 3, and is still accepting lifeguard applications, with a few spots left, said Lance Welliver, county Parks and Recreation director.
Dave Hutner, interim Parks and Recreation director for Cranberry Township, attributed aggressive recruitment and employee benefits to the number of lifeguards on staff.
“We were very proactive in our recruitment,” he said.
Between lifeguard instruction and water safety courses, the water park also serves as a sort of “training ground” for lifeguards, Hutner said. Once employed, water park lifeguards don’t pay for additional recertification, which must be completed every two years.
“That’s something that sets us apart,” Hutner said.
Higher wages have helped reel in more lifeguards, especially as pools contend with students taking summer jobs at nearby businesses where the seasonal salaries are more competitive.
“Because of the area, we’re competing with all the other food service and retail businesses and what they’re paying,” said Tom Smith, Seven Fields borough manager.
The hourly rate for lifeguards in Seven Fields was raised from $11 to $15 in March 2021. The wage is set at $15 this year to attract and retain pool staff, he said.
At Alameda Waterpark, the hourly pay for lifeguards is $12.50. It was raised last year by the Butler County Salary Board from $10 to bolster recruitment efforts.
Starting salary for pool staff at Cranberry Township Waterpark is $14 an hour.
“We’ve had the experience of higher hourly wages,” Smith said. “That’s higher expenses, higher pool rates. Everything’s been impacted.”
The national lifeguard shortage is a strain on local elected officials and community members who want to take advantage of their community pools, Smith said.
“We have been there, and I feel bad for any community pool experiencing that right now,” Smith said.
Traditionally, pool operators see a wave of high school recruits filling the ranks as college-age lifeguards transition into new jobs. Returning lifeguards who grew up swimming in community pools also tend to spread the word of available summer jobs to their friends.
That familiar cycle was broken during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Adam Katchmarchi, executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.
Lifeguard numbers in the county, however, now seem to be on the upswing after COVID-19 as pool managers have strengthened their recruitment strategies to hire a mix of high school and college-aged students.
“We always try to staff between 12 to 14 lifeguards. That’s our comfort zone. It allows us to adjust for moving college students. We always like a mixture of high school and college ages,” said Smith about the Seven Fields pool.
Pool manager Cindy Caldwell said that the mix of lifeguards is always evolving at the EDCO Pool. While there are no college students on staff this year, the Evans City pool is not experiencing a shortage of lifeguards, she said.
Sparse lifeguard staffers and a lack of pool programming can cause a ripple effect in drowning prevention, Katchmarchi said. The risk becomes apparent when pools are unguarded or don’t have the capacity to teach swimming and water safety.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance is working to develop an aquatics census that would help quantify the national lifeguard shortage. This information would help officials better understand why some local communities are more affected than others, he said.
He noted that the lifeguard shortage, while exacerbated by COVID-19 shutdowns, preceded the pandemic.
“We all tend to think of lifeguards as just sitting in the sun,” he said. “This is a serious job. The responsibility they carry with their jobs is immense.”
According to Katchmarchi, swimming facilities that can’t staff enough lifeguards should not be operating. Still, reducing hours and programming isn’t helpful in the long-run, he said.
If people can’t swim at their community pool because it no longer has lifeguards, they’re more likely to find another water area that is accessible but unguarded, he said.
“The reality is that lifeguarded venues are inherently safer than an unguarded pool or unguarded beachfront,” Katchmarchi said.
Katchmarchi said that authorities and local leaders should think creatively about short- and long-term solutions to ensure community pools are sufficiently staffed from season to season and will be in following years.
According to The Philadelphia Tribune, the city’s Parks & Recreation Department is partnering with Temple University to encourage students to apply for lifeguard positions at local pools. Enrolled students who participate in the program receive college credit.
“A lot of solutions are also local solutions,” Katchmarchi said.
