MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BEACH SAFETYAccording to the American Lifeguard Association, it could even prevent about a third of the 309,000 pools across the country from opening.
It also leat fewer staffed lifeguard towers at recreational beaches."Ever since lifeguarding started, we’ve had difficulty filling the ranks because it’s a tough job to obtain," said Wyatt Werneth, the association’s national spokesman.It takes very rigorous physical training, first aid and trauma training and a lot of tentative-type skills such as watching the water.City officials in Overland Park, Kansas, were forced to close two of their five outdoor pools amid the staffing shortages.Lifeguard Kelly Thune, a junior at the U of MN., kept a watchfull eye on the swimmers in Como Pool.
Thune has been a guard at the St. Paul pool for the past three years. "Our staff worked incredibly hard throughout the winter and spring to hire, train, certify, onboard and schedule more than 150 lifeguards to safely staff the outdoor pools," city spokeswoman Meg Ralph said.LEARNING TO SWIM IN A POOL IS DIFFERENT THAN IN THE OCEANThe shortage is due in part to the pandemic and the cancelation of J-1 exchange work visas."We’re going to get through this," Werth said. "As first responders, lifeguards are very resourceful.