State offers funding for life guard recruitment

Being a lifeguard is one of the most taxing and gratifying jobs for a young person looking for life skills and something impressive to put on a resume, Lauren Grande said last week.

“When people see that on a resume, they know you can handle a variety of jobs and do them well,” said Grande, a 25-year-old pool manager at Sunset Pool in Longmont. “But it is a high-stress job and not for the faint of heart.”

“You may have to save a life one day,” Grande said. 

She said many older teens and the college-aged are not returning to their previous life guard jobs while others have not expressed any interest in working at a public pool. The shortage of lifeguards and pool managers forced Longmont this summer to close activity pools at Kanemoto and Roosevelt parks, both geared toward younger swimmers.

The closures were like a “dagger in the back,” Jason Stolz, recreation area supervisor for Longmont.”We require a pool manager and a lifeguard at both locations. But because of the labor shortage we weren’t able to do that.”

Both Grande and Stolz say their efforts to recruit more potential lifeguards  were bolstered this week with the announcement that the state is putting up $350,000 to attract and retain public pool employees. The funds will provide incentives for lifeguards and pool managers to stay through the summer and keep public pools open at maximum capacity, according to a news release from Gov. Jared Polis’s office.

“This is exciting news,” Stolz said. “We are putting together our application for the grant and we have to do it quickly because there is a quick turnaround on this.”

Awards will be for a maximum of $25,000 for local governments aiming to retain, recruit, train and offer overtime wages and retention bonuses for lifeguards and others. Cities like Longmont have until Tuesday, June 28 at midnight to apply for the funding, the news release states.

The awards will be announced Friday, July 1.

Polis, in making his announcement about the grants, said enough pool workers will be needed as the state approaches the July 4 holiday.

 “...Across the state we need to fix the shortage of lifeguards and pool workers to open closed pools and expand operating hours as head into the July 4th weekend and the heat of the summer,” Polis said in the news release.”Coloradan should be able to safely enjoy time with friends and family during the hot summer months, and we’re going to get more pools open and expand hours.”

Longmont is already offering its own incentives including $15.50-$20 per hour for lifeguards, pool managers and swim instructors. 

 The city has been able to pull together enough personnel to keep larger pools open, including at Sunset. Grande is entering her 10th summer at the pool, which usually draws hundreds during the day.

Grande - who is a public school teacher for nine months of the year - said her job is varied and includes supervising employees, pool operations and the parking lot. “There are lots of moving parts,” she said.

Her responsibilities come with plenty of benefits besides pay. “I mean it’s a job where you are not flipping burgers or folding clothes,” she said. “It’s teaching people to be safe and yet have fun.”

“It’s fun to see those little kids I have helped teach to swim, now growing up and enjoying the pools with their friends and family,” Grande said. She also said as a 16-year-old swim instructor she taught an 83-year-old woman to swim.

“She had never swam before and I taught her how,” Grande said. “You can’t top that kind of experience.”

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