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People flock to pools and beaches to cool off during the summer, but a lifeguard shortage has some Hampton Roads cities feeling the heat.
Without enough lifeguards, several cities had to make changes to their pool schedules or caution beachgoers to swim at their own risk.
The problem isn’t unique to Hampton Roads. According to The American Lifeguard Association, cities all over the country are struggling to find lifeguards — the shortage could affect anywhere from one-third to half of the more than 300,000 pools across the country.
The organization reported on its Facebook page that there are now 40% to 50% fewer lifeguards at public pools and beaches across the country.
According to a CNN report, the lifeguard shortage — already an issue due to low pay — has been exacerbated by the pandemic, as many pools closed and young people gravitated to higher-paying retail and restaurant jobs.
The pandemic also created difficulty in finding lifeguards because of canceled certification and recertification courses, according to Amy Rowley, superintendent of Newport News’ parks department.
Many lifeguards may also choose to spend part of their time at community pools not run by the city, which limits the hours they’re available, Rowley said.
Hampton is short about 50% of its beach lifeguard staffing and about 75% at the pools, according to Bob Manners, the city’s aquatic manager. Full staffing is about 30-35 beach guards and 16-20 pool guards.
The city has two pools but, due to the staffing shortages, can’t have them both open at the same time. When they are open, hours are limited.
There are lifeguards at Buckroe Beach, but the city had to start beach season without guards at Fort Monroe. Manners said he hoped to have guards on duty at Fort Monroe by the end of this week.
“Right now, we’re not currently guarding Fort Monroe, which is definitely a risk for the people who swim out there,” Manners said. “With pools not being open (as much), you’ve got kids who aren’t getting the chance to come in and swim and get better at swimming, so when they are able to swim, there’s a possibility they won’t be as strong as they normally would be.”
The city offers classes to train guards, but not during the summer because it’s too busy. Hampton offered five courses from February to May, but of the 50 lifeguards certified, only two or three applied to work for the city, Manners said.
In Virginia Beach, the parks and recreation department is short about 65 guards for city-run pools.
The city had to reduce hours at the Seatack Recreation Center pool because of staffing limitations and is trying to avoid reducing hours at other centers, said Julie Braley, a parks and recreation department spokesperson. The city also had to stop offering private swimming lessons to new clients because of a shortage of water safety instructors, and all group lessons are full and have “hefty waiting lists.”
Virginia Beach hopes higher pay will attract more lifeguards. The city council recently approved a budget that will increase pay to $15 an hour beginning in July.
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Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service, which contracts with the city to provide guards for the beaches, said his staff levels have remained strong. With their view of the ocean, they have the “most beautiful office in the world,” he said.
But he added that this year, they did not have the normal overflow of applications and are about 10% below his ideal number of guards. They are still able to fulfill their city contract and are training 35 new guards.
In Norfolk, there are normally 18 to 24 guards to monitor the bay beaches. But this year, the city only has six, including supervisors, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Straub. The shortage means that instead of staffing three beaches with a total of 10 towers every day, the city can only staff one part of the time — Community Beach.
Sarah Constant Beach Park and Ocean View Beach will be left unguarded this year.
Newport News is about 10 to 15 guards short of where the city would like to be, Rowley said, but it hasn’t affected hours at city pools or beaches so far. The city has relied on its aquatic staff, including supervisors, to sit in the lifeguard stand to keep the pools available.
“This is not anything new this year — finding lifeguards has been a challenge in the past,” Rowley said. “We’re used to this challenge and we have ways to make it work.”
Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com