With summer around the corner, Austin City Councilwoman Paige Ellis wants to solve the city’s lifeguard shortage, according to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE.
The station reported that Ellis, a former lifeguard herself, is the sponsor of a resolution that’ll look to strengthen lifeguard recruitment and retention in addition to other seasonal workers. Ellis issued a statement saying that the city’s public pools may not be open if the city doesn’t have an ample number of lifeguards, KVUE reported.
“Swimming is synonymous with summer,” she said in a statement. “If we can’t hire enough lifeguards for the season, Austinites will not have access to our local pools. For the past two years, many pools have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain and contractor challenges. Now that repairs and improvements have been completed, the only remaining impediment to opening our pools is fully staffing them with trained lifeguards.”
According to KVUE, the councilwoman attended a job fair Friday (March 18) to assist with the hiring of lifeguards. The city looks to bring in hundreds.
The station reported that the city said last month it had 95 lifeguards, just 15% of its intended target of 650.
To help boost hiring, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has launched a campaign that offers prospective lifeguards and other seasonal employees $500 bonuses as an incentive to work the entire summer, KVUE reported.
Ellis calls lifeguards the first responders of the pool before EMS reaches the scene.
“When your child, your friend or your family member is in trouble, those critical seconds can be the difference between life and death,” she said, according to the station.
The city said applicants must be at least 15 years old and complete an application through the city’s jobs website. Lifeguards are paid $15 per hour, KVUE reported.
