SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – During the current heatwave, many families are heading to local swimming pools to cool off. But some are finding those facilities either closed or operating under reduced hours due to the ongoing lifeguard shortage.
While swimming pools are a great way to cool down, they can be dangerous, making the shortage of lifeguards even more crucial.
Third-year lifeguard Shelby Resnick knows about the importance of her job more than most, especially when she had to pull the little girl out of the water who was drowning.
“I was luckily only a few feet from her when that happened, so I just ran up and picked her up and out of the water. She was breathing. She was totally fine. But it just comes to show that we do need lifeguards out there,” Resnick said.
Resnick spoke with KCBS Radio’s Matt Bigler about her job and why it’s important to have lifeguards.
Lifeguards on duty are a prerequisite for public swimming facilities to be open. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough guards to go around, and the whole country is feeling the shortage.
Pete DeQuincy, the Lifeguard Services Manager for East Bay Regional Parks, told Bigler they’ve recruited enough guards to keep all of their swimming facilities open this summer. But, other agencies have been forced to close pools.
“What I’ve seen some agencies do, instead of them opening seven days a week, they’ve reduced their hours so they may be only open five days a week or three days a week,” DeQuincy said.
DeQuincy blames much of the shortage on the pandemic and its effects on teenagers who were forced to be alone for two summers straight.
“A lot of it has to do with just that fact that we’re still coming out of Covid, and there are some isolation issues that we’re seeing with young people,” DeQuincy said.
But the problem may be bigger than Covid, as Resnick also says many kids are choosing to stay indoors and not get their feet wet the way they used to.
“They’re choosing to stay in and do other things rather than going out there and trying to help other people,” Resnick said.
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