There is a desperate plea for lifeguards in both Cincinnati and Covington.
According to Covington Parks & Rec Director Ben Oldiges, the city has to hire at least 10 more lifeguards to be able to open and maintain its 2 pools this summer.
Oldiges said they’ve hired 50 lifeguards but if they don’t round out their staff with another 10, they’ll be forced to adjust pool hours or even close one of the pools for part of the week.
Oldiges said his department reached out to schools and they’ve marketed the positions everywhere they can think and they’re still coming up short.
The job pays $12-$13 an hour and people don't have to be certified to apply. The city will cover certification for free and pay employees during the training.
The nationwide lifeguard shortage is impacting Cincinnati Recreation Commission pools as well. The CRC is only able to open 8 of its 23 pools.
The CRC opened three pools over Memorial Day weekend: Dunham, McKee and Oakley.
Monday, an additional five CRC pools will open: Dempsey, Evanston, Hirsch, Lincoln and Pleasant Ridge.
Dickman Pool in Sayler Park and Mount Washington Pool are the next on the list to open if the CRC is able to hire more lifeguards.
At last check, the CRC has 87 registered lifeguards ready to work, but it takes 250 lifeguards to open all of the CRC pools.
For CRC lifeguard jobs click HERE.
For Covington lifeguard jobs click HERE.
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