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| Subject: | There has been a shortage of lifeguards nationwide for a few years now…. |
| From: | Kitchop    |
| Date: | Mon, 14-Jul-2025 11:14:21 PM PDT |
| Where: | SoapZone Community Message Board |
| In topic: | ~*~*Week of July 14th Potpourri~*~^ posted by Leia |
| In reply to: | I think it was less about being responsible and more about avoiding posted by Wahoo |
It got worse during the pandemic when no training or certifications were being done. But the pandemic was five years ago now. I’m tired of businesses still blaming everything on the pandemic. It’s a job that does not pay that well but has a lot of responsibility. Apparently there aren’t enough people in younger generations that are willing to be lifeguards.
No doubt that’s part of it. We do live in a lawsuit crazy culture. That said, nobody wants to see anybody struck by lightening on the beach. There absolutely are people who are too stupid to get off the beach when they see/hear a thunderstorm approaching. I’ve always loved thunderstorms. But from a safe place.
Even if someone more senior on the lifeguard staff was tracking the weather radar in the lifeguard office, they have to get updates out to the lifeguards in chairs. Those weather updates, I imagine, would most likely be communicated to the field lifeguards via phone.
My Y in Brooklyn is paying $22/hr to lifeguards who stay through Sept 5 and I think there was a signing bonus. We are open year round so that doesn’t make sense. After Sept 6, I think the pay goes down to $18/hr. I guess they pay more in the summer because there is more competition for lifeguards in the summer. NYC has about 60 big outdoor free pools and miles of ocean beach that is only open in the summer. The city had to raise the pay rate to attract more lifeguards. But they still only have about 600 lifeguards when they had 1200 in 2018.
I guess I’m giving your lifeguards the benefit of the doubt because I’ve personally known a lot of good lifeguards. I swam with one earlier today. He always swims on one of his breaks. That said, younger generations do have a different idea of work ethic and work/life balance. That, in part, is because they saw their parents work like dogs for the same employer for years, only to be laid of in their fifties. That has come back to haunt employers who want hardworking loyal employees.
Good. But there are so many stupid people who don’t. I was taught this as a kid just like I was taught what to do if I get caught in a riptide. But so many people drown because they went in the ocean when they don’t know how to swim. It should be obvious how powerful the ocean is. But nope.
a lawsuit but yes, there are people too stupid to leave the beach during a thunderstorm.
No doubt that’s part of it. We do live in a lawsuit crazy culture. That said, nobody wants to see anybody struck by lightening on the beach. There absolutely are people who are too stupid to get off the beach when they see/hear a thunderstorm approaching. I’ve always loved thunderstorms. But from a safe place.
I don’t know about the lifeguard who was on her phone a lot. For all we know, she was the one with the responsibility of tracking the radar.
Now see, my thinking is if she's sitting in a chair on the beach (or poolside), she should be looking at the water, not her phone. If there WAS a lifeguard carefully tracking the storm, they should've been doing so in the lifeguards' building that was right on the beach. But then again, they may not have had enough lifeguards to go around. Between not wanting a job with a lot of responsibility and not wanting to work for little pay*, the beaches and pools may have trouble attracting enough candidates for the job.
Even if someone more senior on the lifeguard staff was tracking the weather radar in the lifeguard office, they have to get updates out to the lifeguards in chairs. Those weather updates, I imagine, would most likely be communicated to the field lifeguards via phone.
* Out of curiosity, I Googled...in my area, a lifeguard typically earns between $16-20/hour, which is certainly better pay than most retail and restaurant jobs around here (not counting potential tips as a server at a sit down restaurant).
My Y in Brooklyn is paying $22/hr to lifeguards who stay through Sept 5 and I think there was a signing bonus. We are open year round so that doesn’t make sense. After Sept 6, I think the pay goes down to $18/hr. I guess they pay more in the summer because there is more competition for lifeguards in the summer. NYC has about 60 big outdoor free pools and miles of ocean beach that is only open in the summer. The city had to raise the pay rate to attract more lifeguards. But they still only have about 600 lifeguards when they had 1200 in 2018.
I doubt very seriously that the lifeguards were just trying to get a half hour of not having to watch the water. Clearing the crowd and making sure everyone got to safety was a lot of work. I swim in a lot of different situations (inside/outside/pool/ocean) and I have a lot of respect for lifeguards. I’ve seen them save lives both in the ocean and in the pool. It might look like they are “doing nothing” but they have to be ready to spring into action whenever a situation suddenly comes up.
I don't doubt that it's a lot of work, nor do I doubt lifeguards save lives. I also don't doubt there could've been a storm out there that veered off course at the last minute. What I *do* know is other than clouds, there was no sign of a storm. I also know that I've worked with plenty of young people who would actively find ways to NOT work while on the job so I truly could see it going either way: an abundance of caution or "yay, 30 minutes (or more) of doing nothing and getting paid for it!". Honestly, I'm not trying to rip on lifeguards here...I'm just increasingly pessimistic these days about the work ethic of the younger generations.
I guess I’m giving your lifeguards the benefit of the doubt because I’ve personally known a lot of good lifeguards. I swam with one earlier today. He always swims on one of his breaks. That said, younger generations do have a different idea of work ethic and work/life balance. That, in part, is because they saw their parents work like dogs for the same employer for years, only to be laid of in their fifties. That has come back to haunt employers who want hardworking loyal employees.
If you’re ever on a beach without lifeguards and you see or hear signs of a thunderstorm, get the hell off that beach as quickly as possible.
I already do so.
Good. But there are so many stupid people who don’t. I was taught this as a kid just like I was taught what to do if I get caught in a riptide. But so many people drown because they went in the ocean when they don’t know how to swim. It should be obvious how powerful the ocean is. But nope.
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