INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Manager Ashley Ford circled one of Indianapolis’ five outdoor swimming pools, watching children jump onto a springboard or dive down a curved slide. The four lifeguards, already on hand, were watching them from their highchairs around the water.
A dozen city pools are closed due to a lack of lifeguards, with families sometimes lining up for more than an hour before the Frederick Douglas Park pool opens, Ford said. Many days, reach the strength.
A national shortage of lifeguards exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted communities like Indianapolis to reduce pools and cut working hours. Elsewhere in the United States, swimming pools remain empty.
That leaves some Americans with fewer or less risky options, even as most of the country experiences its second heat wave in a matter of weeks. Public health experts say the risk of drowning is greatly reduced when there are lifeguards.
“That was my biggest challenge to keep everyone safe,” Ford said.
The American Lifeboat Association estimates that one-third of U.S. pools are affected by famine. Bernard J. Fisher II, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Association, expects that number to rise to half of all pools by August, when more young lifeguards return to school.
“It was a disaster,” Fisher said.
Fisher said summer famines are not uncommon, but pools in the US are facing the effects of a previous pandemic when they closed and lifeboat certification ceased. Although some cities add incentives, startup fees lag behind many other businesses.
Ford, who has worked at the agency for 20 years, said Indy Parks and Recreation has 100 lifeguards, double this year. Lifeguards from nearby indoor pools fill the outdoor pools, while pools in Indianapolis are still being forced to close for an hour-long lunch and daily cleaning break.
Fisher said that when the local pool is closed, teens can swim in areas without lifeguards. This can lead to more suffocation, which disproportionately affects people of color. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, blacks under the age of 29 are 1.5 times more likely to drown than whites of the same age.
About 330,000 people enroll in American Red Cross rescue courses each year. Jenelle Ely, senior director of media relations at the American Red Cross, told the Associated Press that that number had fallen due to the closure of many pools due to the pandemic, but is now increasing.
Indy Parks requires lifeguards to complete a course in which they swim 100 meters, walk for one minute in the water without using their hands, and pick up a 10-pound item from the bottom of the pool. The starting salary increased from $13 an hour earlier this year to $15. Boyd said those who stay for the season will receive a $100 bonus.
“I’m trying to find some of my friends who want to work in the summer and have money in their pockets,” says 17-year-old Second Class Lifeguard Donald Harris. “They say lifeguards are not for them. “.
Lifeguards at Indiana State Parks are paid $11 per hour. Terry Coleman, director of the Indiana State Parks Division, said all 37 state facilities remain open, but some are operating limited hours. Many parks in Indiana have shallow swimming areas without lifeguards, Coleman said.
“We’re looking at potential incentives, maybe for the 2023 holiday season, but nothing concrete yet,” he said.
Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry spokesman Jim Britt said some state parks in Maine start the season without lifeguards, and visitors are notified at the park entrance when lifeguards are on leave. The state pays rescuers about $16 an hour.
“It’s irritating,” Britt said. “There are no two options here. We want lifeguards to be there and on duty.”
Chicago, which has one of the largest water programs in the country with 77 public pools and 22 beaches serving approximately 2.75 million people, has shifted the opening day of its pools from June 24 to July 5.
“Chicago families rely on our summer park programs, so we didn’t give up,” Chicago Park District Superintendent Rosa Escaregno said in a press release.
Escareno partly attributed the shortage to “massive layoffs”, referring to a post-pandemic labor shortage.
The Chicago Park District pays $15.88 an hour and now offers bonuses for new hires who stay during the summer, increasing from $500 to $600 in May. It also relaxes the residency requirements, meaning that applicants do not have to live in the city.
One non-pandemic reason for the candidate’s reluctance was the lifeboat sex abuse scandal that rocked Chicago Park County last year.
Escareno said the organization has strengthened its system of accountability and accountability.
“I think the most important thing right now is to ensure safe reopening and prioritize 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 of Portland, Maine contributed to this report. Reported by Savage of Chicago. He and Rogers are Associated Press/Report fellows for the America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on confidential matters.
Source: Breitbart
