PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The City of Philadelphia hosted its first ever “Philly Phreeze Pool Plunge” at Kelly Pool in the Parkside neighborhood. The Plunge was a fundraiser to help incentivize people to start free lifeguard training now for summer jobs at city pools.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell says this Philly Phreeze fundraiser was the first time they’ve filled a city pool in the winter.
“But most importantly it is the first time our city lifeguards can earn $1,000 end of season hiring bonuses for working at a city pool,” she announced.
Those who sign up to fill one of 400 summer lifeguard jobs by April 15 will get that bonus at the end of a completed season. Signing up by May 15 will get an extra $500.
“We have over 60 pools available to open and we need them staffed up,” said Bill Salvatore, deputy commissioner of programs. “So we get 400 lifeguards, raising $1,000 per kid is amazing.”
And so participants jumped into the pool with temps at 32 degrees, to raise money for that lifeguard bonus fund.
“At first when you have that like half-second of air time you think maybe it's not gonna be that bad and then your body hits the water and you're like, ‘Oh no, it really is that bad,’” one swimmer shared, while another compared it to “squeezing the breath out of your body.”
But Lovell says the cold plunge was worth it because the incentives have been working. “I am happy to say that since we announced the hiring bonus, we have had hundreds of people sign up to be lifeguards,” she said.
Salvatore says opening pools is crucial to decreasing summer crime. “When temperatures rise, tempers rise as well,” he said, “and to have a nice place to cool off just to gather in a public space is amazing.”