MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The American Lifeguard Association trains lifeguards for more than 300,000 pools across the country. But those pools are seeing fewer lifeguards going into summer 2021.
The ALA says there was already a shortage before the pandemic and now it's so much worse. Mecklenburg County says nationally, this has been a problem for about a decade, and is affecting the operations for two seasonal outdoor pools and a local beach.
There are a handful of reasons it's blaming the shortage on. Three key reasons follow:
- The pandemic ended up canceling a lot of training and certification programs, so they're backlogged
- Travel restrictions have limited the number of seasonal college and foreign exchange students
- A lot of teenagers aren't taking the "traditional" summer jobs like they used to
Now, those teens and seasonal students are more likely to look for internships instead of spending time at pools and summer camps.
Some places looking to hire lifeguards are trying to offer incentives for people to sign up. Mecklenburg County is raising its minimum wage for lifeguards to $15 an hour and also offering $500 signing bonuses to help fill out its own shortage; as of Wednesday, there are only 86 positions filled out of 247.
"It's frustrating, it's frustrating that lifeguarding isn't what it was ten years ago," Aquatic Coordinator for Mecklenburg County, Michael Johnson said.
Being a lifeguard may have once been the coolest summer job, but Johnson says summer lifeguarding isn't the same these days.
"When I became a lifeguard everyone wanted to do it," Johnson said. "You wanted to be at the pool where all your friends are."
Cordelia Pool and Ramsey Creek Park Beach will not open on Memorial Day weekend because of the shortage. Additionally, the other pool affected is the Double Oaks pool at the Family Aquatic Center in Charlotte. Starting Saturday, June 5, Double Oaks will be open Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., while the Cordelia pool will hold similar hours on Sundays and Tuesdays. Double Oaks will operate from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. from Saturday, May 29 through Tuesday, June 1, before the changes on June 5 take place.
Both Double Oaks and Cordelia are operating on limited hours due to the shortage. At this time, Ramsey Creek Park Beach doesn't have plans of opening, unless more lifeguards are hired.
"Families like us that don't have a neighborhood pool that we can go to, so the lack of lifeguards, is just sad to hear," Charlotte resident Brittany Crenshaw said.
Johnson said the pandemic has limited the way they can recruit candidates.
"The way we recruit has drastically changed, being the lead recruiter for the county we normally, in normal times would go out to high schools and sit at lunches and talk to kids, "Johnson said.
Changes aren't just limited to outdoor pools either. The Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Charlotte, which is an indoor pool, is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Memorial Day, but sees the following hours starting May 29:
- Monday & Wednesday- 5:30 a.m – 9:30 p.m. (Main Tank Closed 1pm-4pm)
- Tuesday & Thursday- 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
- Friday- 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Saturday- 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday- Closed
Meanwhile, the YMCA is also struggling to hire more people. They need to fill over 200 positions.
"It's not new, our shortage, it's just critical right now," YMCA's Director of Aquatics Ame Guy said.
Guy said they are short people because the pandemic canceled training, they also lost a lot of employee's when COVID-19 hit.
The YMCA is offering free training and even raised the pay to $10 an hour.
The YMCA and Mecklenburg County both hope hiring benefits will come to the rescue.
"The leadership qualities you learn, the teamwork, working together it's just so great being hands-on," Guy said.