TAMPA, Fla. — With summer break right around, the city of Tampa is preparing to open its summer programs.
“We can't keep all of our pools in the city open for summer recreation unless we have lifeguards,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.
To be fully staffed the city needs 100 lifeguards.
“Of those hundred, we're about halfway. We still need a few more lifeguards,” Castor added.
According to the mayor, thousands of people visit Tampa's 12 recreation pools every summer. Without enough staff to support, changes will need to be made in the spirit of safety.
“For the pools, if we don't have adequate oversight from lifeguards we sometimes have to curtail the hours or even shut pools down,” Castor said.
From 2018 to 2020 combined, Florida was ranked the highest in the U.S. for unintentional drowning death rate among children ages 1 to 4 years old.
“Pools that don't have lifeguards will have one less barrier between a person swimming and a possible incident,” lifeguard Scott Mitter said.
You must be at least 15 years old to become a lifeguard and pass several exams before getting certified.
“I think it just teaches you really good and valuable life skills including CPR and first aid,” Mitter said.
A lifeguard's pay is $15 per hour. All teenagers will have to take a pretest which includes a 300-yard swim, two minutes of treading water only using your legs and retrieving a submerged five-pound brick.