US Pools Close, Labor Shortage Rescuers Gone

Indianapolis (AP) – Manager Ashley Ford walked around the perimeter of one of Indianapolis’s five outdoor swimming pools, watching kids jump from the diving board or into the water from the curved slide. Four rescuers, ready to whistle, were watching from the high banks standing around the water.

Dozens of swimming pools in the city were closed due to a lack of rescuers, sometimes families queuing up an hour before Frederick Douglas Park opened, Ford said. For several days, look for opportunities.

The shortage of national rescuers, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has forced communities like Indianapolis to cut down on swimming pools and watches. In other parts of the United States, pools don’t care.

This leaves some Americans with more or less risky options, even as a large part of the country experiences a second heatwave within a few weeks. Public health experts say the risk of drowning is greatly reduced in the presence of rescuers.

“It’s my greatest thing, it’s everyone’s safety,” Ford said.

The American Rescue Association estimates that the shortage affects one-third of basins in the United States. Bernard J. Fisher II, the association’s director of health and safety, predicts half of the pools will grow in August, when more teenage lifeguards return to school.

“It was a disaster,” Fisher said.

Summer shortages are not uncommon, but swimming pools in the U.S. also face the first consequences of the pandemic when they close and lifeguard certification stops, Fisher said. The starting salary is late compared to many other jobs, although some cities are adding incentives.

Indy Parks and Recreation has 100 lifeguards this year when it is typically double that, said Ford, who has worked with the agency for 20 years. While indoor pool rescuers are gathering open facilities, pools in Indianapolis are not yet closed with a one -hour lunch and cleaning break each day.

When the local pool isn’t open, teens can swim without rescuers, Fisher said. This can lead to increased irritability, disproportionately affecting black people. In the United States, blacks under the age of 29 are 1.5 times more likely to drown than white Americans of the same age. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Approximately 330,000 people take the American Red Cross rescue course each year. That number dropped because many pools were closed due to the pandemic, but is rising now, Jennel Ellie, senior director of media relations for the American Red Cross, said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Indie Park asked its rescuers to take a course where they swam 100 yards, swam in water for a minute without using their hands, and lifted a 10-pound weight from the bottom of the pool. The starting wage is $ 15 per hour, up from $ 13 per hour earlier this year. Those who stay in the season will receive a $ 100 maintenance bonus, Boyd said.

“I try to find friends who want to find a job in the summer and want to have money in their pockets,” said Donald Harris, a 17-year-old second-year. “They just said there was no lifeguard for them. . “

Lifeguards at Indiana state parks are paid $ 11 per hour. All 37 facilities in the state remain open, but some operate for limited hours, said Terry Coleman, director of the Indiana State Parks Department. Many parks in Indiana also have shallow swimming areas without lifeguards, Coleman said.

“We’re looking for potential incentives, maybe for the 2023 recreational season, but nothing more,” he said.

In Maine, some state parks started the season without rescuers, and alerting visitors to the park entrance when none of the rescuers are on duty, said Jim Britt, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Agriculture. Conservation and Forestry. The state pays rescuers about $ 16 per hour.

“It’s a concern,” Britt said. “There are no two ways here.” We want rescuers to be there and on duty. “

In Chicago, which boasts one of the largest water programs in the country – 77 public pools and 22 beaches that serve nearly 2.75 million people – the pool’s opening day has been postponed from June 24 to July 5.

“Chicago families rely on our summer park programs, so we won’t give up,” Chicago District Supervisor Rosa Escareno said in a press release.

Escareño attributed the shortage in part to “mass resignations,” referring to a post-pandemic labor shortage.

The Chicago Park District pays $ 15.88 per hour and is now offering bonuses of $ 600, up from $ 500 in May, on new hires that stay through the summer. It also reduced residence requirements, which means applicants no longer have to live in the city.

One reason for the applicant’s reluctance, unrelated to the pandemic, could be a Rescue Sexual Assault Scandal that rocked the Chicago Park area last year.

Escareño said the organization has strengthened its accountability and reporting system.

“I think the most important thing right now is to open the safe and we prioritize safety, not only the safety of our residents, but also the safety of our employees,” he said.

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Associated Press reporter David Sharp in Portland, Maine contributed to this report. Reported by Savage from Chicago. He and Rogers are members of the Associated Press / Report for the America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America This is a nonprofit national service program that puts reporters in the local news to cover up hidden issues.