breathes life into lifeguard training

JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Countless public pools opened over the Memorial Day weekend as schools let out and summer approaches. But whether they remain open throughout the season is another matter.

e state of Colorado is boosting aid along the Front Range and across the state to help local pools avoid that outcome.

Gov. Jared Polis announced nancial help on May 30 for nearly 50 cities and districts as part of the Lifeguard Training Initiative — a follow-up to his administration’s Pools Special Initiative, launched last summer.

e initiative was announced early this month at the Northglenn Recreation Center, along with administrators, local o cials, lawmakers and community members.

“We are making a splash with this exciting support for lifeguards, part of our ongoing work to make sure that pools can safely open earlier, expand hours, and stay open longer this summer,” Polis said in his announcement. “We are thrilled that so many local governments across the state applied for this funding so that families, friends, and neighbors can dive right into the summer.” e grants, implemented by the state’s local a airs and labor departments, ranged from $1,000 requests to $20,000, the maximum. In the end, the state allocated mixed amounts, but exhausted almost all of the available funds, leaving just $200 to potentially allocate supplementally..

South Suburban Parks and Recreation District (SSPRD), which reported a signi cant shortage of lifeguards earlier in the month, received $10,700 — the highest-allocated amount awarded to more than a dozen districts or cities. Cities like Aurora and Boulder received the same amount.

Part of the shortage lies with the expensive cost of training lifeguards. Many prospective employees may be dissuaded by the idea of paying to obtain lifeguard certi cation. ough it won’t solve the main shortage problem, having the funding helps, said SSPRD Aquatics Manager Karl Brehm, who came down from a lifeguard stand himself to talk to Colorado Community Media.

“It will help us reach a demographic that is lacking in having the funds upfront to start,” Brehm said.

“With the grant, we will defer the payment of those [lifeguard] certi - cation costs.”

A full-course lifeguard training at South Suburban through Red Cross costs $175. Community First Aid, CPR and AED training/blended learning costs $80. But after 75 hours of work, South Suburban reimburses course fees [excluding the $40 certi cation fee].

Other communities received smaller amounts. e City of ornton got $6,892, Commerce City, $1,462, and Parker, $4,499. e Town of Castle Rock received $7,873 and Brighton received $1,687.

A national lifeguard shortage affects roughly a third of public pools throughout the country. Colorado has struggled similarly. e state grant money aims to help train and retain lifeguards, which can be difcult to do these days, according to Brehm.

“I have seen, more and more, less interest in the position,” Brehm told Colorado Community Media in May.

Brehm said South Suburban, like many other area pools, must hire throughout the season to try and maintain strong employee numbers. e funds from the state help provide time for pools to keep hiring and training ongoing, Brehm added. He described the support as not a favor, however, but a public service.

“It hearkens to a safety situation. People want to have the pools open. We want to have them open. But there’s a barrier that stands there,” Brehm said in response to the funding. “Having the state recognize that it is something that people want, and there’s a barrier to it, I look at it as a civic responsibility. ere is a need, and it is being met.”

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