'Learn to swim, America': How a lifeguard shortage may have impacts on your summer plans

WASHINGTON (WJLA) — 7News On Your Side is reminding you to check with your community pool this summer -- About a third of the 300,000 public pools across the country are facing lifeguard shortages, forcing them to cut hours or close their doors altogether.

A domino effect after the coronavirus pandemic is behind the shortage. In 2020, in the name of public safety, then-President Donald Trump banned foreign work visas, and lifeguard positions have historically been filled by young people with J1 visas.

Then, lifeguard certification classes were canceled. Lastly, many lifeguards moved on to higher-paying jobs, especially when the pools shut down– and those lifeguards never came back.

Some pools are offering higher pay to retain their workforce, but in the meantime, what can parents do? A spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association says this shortage could be with us for a while -- and that’s a dangerous reality.

“The number one thing we want to get the message: learn to swim, America,” said Wyatt Werneth, spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association.

He said when shows like Baywatch were on the air, being a lifeguard was cool. But the job has since lost its popularity.

“Next, swim in front of a lifeguard. Do some homework, even if it’s a place you go on vacation all the time – get on the web and find out where there are lifeguards. The chances of drowning in front of a lifeguard are one in 18 million. So you want to find those lifeguard areas. If you can’t, then we want you to assign a water watcher, someone, who has CPR training, someone who is not going to be distracted. They’re going to be your own personal lifeguard. If you have little ones who don’t know how to swim yet, put them in life jackets. There’s a lot of things to do, we have to readjust, and we tell people, we’re going to get through this.”

He encourages people to train to be a lifeguard, because it’s not just a summer gig, it’s a skill set you will have for the rest of your life.