Lifeguard shortage could threaten Derry Borough public pool's summer
There is nothing worse on a hot day, with the sun beating down and temperatures well into the 90s, than seeing an oasis of cool water locked behind a fence that you can't get to.
Derry Borough Council Member Nathan Bundy said no one wants the pool to be closed during the summer, but leaders just don't have enough lifeguards to monitor the pool and keep people safe.
"Think about who our lifeguards are and their ages, and a lot of them are under 18 and a lot of them are also siblings," Bundy said. "So, what happened was, a bunch of family vacations happened all at the same time, and we did not have enough on reserve to be able to open safely."
According to the American Lifeguard Association, there is a lifeguard shortage nationwide. Pay is cited as a factor, along with the rigors of getting certified.
Bundy says certification is something the borough is working on.
"We can't certify a lifeguard overnight," Bundy said. "But we are working with the American Red Cross, and we have some feelers out to local school districts and community pools about providing a lifeguard instructor and using our facilities for a lifeguard class."
Lifeguards in Derry make $9 per hour, which is in keeping with several other pools in the area.
Bundy said the borough would love a staff of 10 to keep the pool open seven days a week. Five lifeguards are usually needed at the pool on any day. But right now, the pool only has three to four lifeguards able to work, with two more hires set to start this weekend.
But just as KDKA was recording interviews on Tuesday, two lifeguards resigned, and now the borough is calling into question whether or not it can reopen the pool at all this season. The council will be discussing the fate of the pool on July 1st at its next meeting.
"I do hear all the complaints," Bundy said. "I understand them all. I would have loved to go to the pool myself, and we definitely feel the pain of the pass holders, as well that this service was expected. And we are planning some compensation for our pass holders in some different ways going forward this season and maybe for future seasons as well."
Now, if you are a certified lifeguard and want to work for Derry, lifeguard jobs will be posted on the pool's Facebook page.
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