A nationwide lifeguard shortage threatens to shut down beaches and pools ahead of the busy summer holiday season, experts have warned.
Beaches, water parks, and a string of other venues may also be at risk of closures or reduced hours, according to the ALA.
Werneth noted that the pandemic had worsened the situation, as had stagnant pay and a lengthy training process.
“The pandemic really put a halt to it,” Werneth said of the decline in staff. “I think there’s been a lack of interest over the years but after the pandemic, it all stopped, there weren’t any people coming out and experiencing how great it was [to be a lifeguard], and we do rely on a lot of people to go back and talk about it, word of mouth, and we had none of that over a year so we don’t have hardly anyone coming out this time.”
Drownings Increasing
Meanwhile, canceled swimming lessons could have further implications, leading to increased drownings.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4 years and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children aged 5 to 14 years.
Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 4,000 fatal drowning incidents, with an average of 11 per day, and 8,000 nonfatal drowning incidents, with an average of 22 per day, according to the CDC.
On average, from 2019 through 2021, 80 percent of children treated in emergency departments for pool or spa-related nonfatal drowning injuries were younger than 5 years of age.
States Launch Incentives
In an effort to ensure pools throughout the country are adequately staffed this summer and beyond, departments and agencies have launched a number of incentives.Children will also be able to take part in swimming lessons, on a limited basis, at no cost.
In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis recently announced a new lifeguard training program that allocates more than $250,000 in grants to local governments with public pools or public swimming beaches to ensure they have trained staff and can stay open longer.
“Lifeguarding is a very unique public safety service where we have the opportunity to stop people before they get into danger,” Werneth told Fox News. “There are so many things about lifeguarding that are so rewarding.”