Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner isn't the only one who believes all state park beaches would be safer if lifeguard protection again were available. Many parents share the same opinion.

State park beaches are losing some young swimmers because parents forbid them from going to the unsupervised facilities. And, even some adults whose swimming skills leave something to be desired are wary about going into the water when there are no lifeguards on duty.

Meanwhile, Wagner is correct that the cost of providing lifeguards would be worth the investment even if one life were saved over the course of a summer.

He should continue to press his stance with officials of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state agency that implemented the open-swim policy — one of the premises for the decision being the difficulty of finding trained lifeguards to accept park positions.

Saving money also was behind the open-swim decision, although officials aren't eager to emphasize that consideration.

Wagner said he would support offering lifeguards higher pay and would support a plan under which state universities would offer credit to students with lifeguard training who would agree to work at state parks. Neither of those ideas is unreasonable.

As of last year, 23 state parks, including Moraine State Park in Butler County, had unguarded beaches. This summer another 15 beaches are unguarded.

Fortunately, there haven't been a rash of drowning deaths or injuries at park swimming areas since the open-swim policy was initiated. But that low death toll in no way diminishes the validity of Wagner's rationale regarding the issue. In addition to rescuing swimmers in trouble, lifeguards can halt horseplay that endangers or disrupts other swimmers, and they have the power to order swimmers out of the water when a storm is approaching.

The open-swim policy is a policy that should be reversed.