PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Lifeguards at Philadelphia’s city pools are getting a raise. The city says it’s a necessary step toward giving kids a safe place to enjoy their summer.
Last year, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation was not able to fully open all 70 of the city’s public pools. That's because they had a lifeguard shortage. But department officials are making a last-minute push to change that this year.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell says they need to hire between 350 and 400 lifeguards to get all of those pools open, and right now officials say they have around 228 candidates.
Officials hope a couple of new incentives will attract more. One is a pay raise. Lifeguards will start out at $16 an hour — a 51 cent per hour increase for first-year lifeguards — with a maximum of $18 an hour.
The city is also offering free certification classes for people between the ages of 16 and 24.
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“I am optimistic that we’ll be able to open every pool we can open this summer. I am confident that the residents of Philadelphia will come forward to help us,” Ott Lovell said.
Lifeguard trainer Will Coleman says the pay increase is icing on the cake.
“As a young person, you can get paid to be [at the pool],” Coleman said. “That sounds like a really good benefit to me.”
Coleman was one of those young recruits, himself. It was 16 years ago that a Philadelphia Parks and Recreation commercial caught his eye.
“I was like: ‘Wow! I want to be a part of that. Let me see if I can be a lifeguard,’” he said.
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There was a little problem — he couldn’t swim very well — but he was persistent. He says he trained for about six months and was able to get certified.
Now, a water safety instructor trainer, in charge of developing new lifeguards, Coleman is on the other side of that experience.
Ott Lovell says having every pool open is an important part of the city’s work to cut down on teen violence.
“The fewer pools we have open every summer, the fewer kids will learn how to swim — that critical life-saving skill," she said. "And so it is a question of access. It is a question of equity. And it's a question of public safety.”
Visit the city’s website for more information on screening appointments and applications.