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Less than half of lifeguard positions filled
Milwaukee County Parks needs lifeguards as temperatures warm up and pool season arrives. The county has raised wages, but the challenge remains.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Parks is still in need of lifeguards as temperatures warm up and pool season arrives.
County Executive David Crowley said money used to play a big factor in lifeguard staffing. He said the county has since raised wages, but the challenge remains.
"Sometimes it can be a high-stress job," lifeguard Cooper Brackett said. "Telling people what to do, and you have to be loud and assertive, so some people may shy away from that."
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"You have to swim 100 yards in a minute and 45 seconds, so you have to be a strong swimmer," said Andrea Wallace, Milwaukee County Parks assistant director of recreation and business services.
Wallace said the problem isn't just local, it's nationwide. Since November, she said the county has been hiring for each of the county's 11 community pools. Each site has a required staffing level, according to the state's pool code, but they are still coming up short.
Milwaukee County Parks lifeguard training hopes to address shortage
Milwaukee County Parks is training lifeguards for the 2024 season, hoping to turn things around after shortages in past years kept some pools closed.
"Our numbers are sitting at about 110 right now," Wallace said. They need 250.
Wallace said the county is working on training new lifeguards and getting previous ones to come back. They're also shifting the focus to staffing the county's two aquatic centers in Greenfield and Lincoln Park, both of which open in two weeks.
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In the meantime, Wallace said, if it has been a while since you swam, start off slow.
"Those zero-depth entry pools are a great way to refamiliarize yourself with water," she said.
Milwaukee County Parks said it's still making the determining factors on which pools will be opening this season, and they should have a better idea of which pools those are next week.