Lack of Lifeguards: A look into the lack of applicants for lifeguarding jobs in the East area

After two summers of moderate pool hours due to not enough employees from COVID-19, pools face continuing those restrictions because of not enough lifeguard applicants.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post The City of Overland Park says it currently has only 100 applicants to fill 225 lifeguard positions to be completely staffed before opening for the season. If they are not able to get the rest of the applications, they will be forced to close pools for the summer — leaving local kids and parents worried about where they will hang out this summer and returning lifeguards now jobless.

The City of Shawnee is also reportedly short-staffed, needing 30 more lifeguards to staff the pools, according to the Shawnee Mission Post. The city has had to get “aggressive” with hiring this year, according to Aquatics Superintendent Sean Keenan in an interview with the Shawnee Mission Post. 

Shawnee is offering $100 bonuses for lifeguard referrals along with a starting pay increase from $11 to $13 per hour in an attempt to attract high schoolers to their pool.

Anticipating a lack of lifeguards, the City of Prairie has increased their hourly rate by $2 and lowered the minimum age to work from 16 to 15 years old. They expect to have no issues after raising their pay from $10 to $12 an hour, especially with the younger pool of potential hires.

According to Prairie Village Assistant City Administrator Meghan Burum, the city is not suffering from lifeguard shortages in 2022.

“We are offering a bonus for anyone who recruits a friend and we are also offering a bonus for total hours of work so at the end of the year, if you have worked a certain amount of hours you will receive a bonus,” Meghan said.  

The City of Mission also sees no problems, after raising their pay $2.50 more than it was last year. In an interview with the Shawnee Mission Post, Assistant City Administrator Emily Randall said it feels like everybody’s ready to get back.

After a talk with Vicky Tillery, the recreation supervisor, the City of Fairway reports having no trouble with lifeguard staffing after raising their pay and already having a lot of returning lifeguards.

Junior Kate Schirger who worked as a lifeguard at Kansas City Country Club last summer says the lack of employees made it so she had to work five days a week even after requesting to only work once or twice a week. She believes overscheduling is a recurring problem at the pool and was frustrated with management’s handling of the issue.

“There were times we had to leave the baby pool just unguarded due to the fact that we didn’t have enough people at work to cover it,” Schriger said.

Due to these experiences, Shirger will not be returning to the pool as a lifeguard this upcoming summer.

Sophomore Maren Adams chose not to show up at her job as a lifeguard several times last summer due to poor management and managers who were on drugs during the work day. She doesn’t think she will return this summer.

However, for Junior Ike Sheets, he found lifeguarding to be “the most fun he has had in a long time” and will be returning to his job at Fairway Pool. He specifically enjoyed spending time with his friends while still getting paid and would recommend working at Fairway to other East students. Still, he recognizes that every pool is a different environment.

“I enjoyed going to work every day, and if there was ever a day I was unable to work, there was always someone to cover my spot,” Sheets said.

Those interested in becoming a lifeguard and helping the lifeguard shortage may visit redcross.org to become certified to not only keep the pools safe but also to ensure they stay open for the summers.