Memorial Day is here and Philadelphia pools still need more lifeguards

As Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, Philadelphia is still looking for more lifeguards to staff its pools.

The city’s Parks and Recreation department has hired 281 lifeguards, double the number it had recruited this time last year, but remains down about 60 guards, spokesperson Maita Soukup said.

The department would like to have the final 60 hired by early June, she added, so it can open all 65 pools.

“We’re continuing to leave no stone unturned to recruit the lifeguards we need to staff our pools,” Soukup said.

The city has passed out 10,000 fliers and postcards, spread the word on a new guard-run TikTok account, reached out to local schools, set up tables at careers fairs and other events, and even gone door-to-door, Soukup said. It also raised the starting salary to $16 an hour.

The final push comes amid a national lifeguard shortage. In the years before the pandemic, the city struggled each summer to get enough guards, but the issue has now been exacerbated by the broader labor shortage and competition from other industries.

Philadelphia is far from alone in its plight. Some pools in central Pennsylvania aren’t opening on time, or are doing so with reduced hours, because they don’t have enough lifeguards. Some Jersey Shore beach patrols have struggled to attract workers. In Chicago, swimming wasn’t allowed at several beaches that opened Friday because they didn’t have the guards to staff them. In San Antonio, pools plan to stagger hours due to the shortage.

As of Friday, Philadelphia didn’t know whether some pools would be unable to open or be delayed in opening due to the shortage, Soukup said.

“We are focused on actively training and certifying candidates now,” she said. “By the first week of June, we will see how many staff we have ready to work, and will map out the pool opening schedule. The schedule will be based on geography, equity, popularity of the pool, and its proximate location to other nearby pools.”

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Last summer, more than 25 city pools were unable to open due to a lifeguard shortage. Each pool needs five lifeguards and several maintenance attendants in order to operate safely.

Anyone 16 or older can apply to be a city lifeguard at phila.gov/lifeguards. Applicants receive free training, Soukup said, and can be taught to swim if they don’t know how.

The city is also looking for pool maintenance attendants, she added: “This year, staffing is challenging for all our seasonal positions, given the current labor market.”