It may be a while before the gaps created due to a pandemic-driven global lifeguard shortage can be filled.
The crunch is also being felt in this province, where the Mews Centre in St. John’s recently had to reduce its hours due to the availability of lifeguards. The City of St. John’s says recruitment efforts are now underway.
The Vice President of Training Programs at the Lifesaving Society, Christopher Mercer, says the pandemic meant that many lifeguards were suddenly out of work and went on to other things.
Mercer says lifeguard training is a stepped process involving 80 to 90 hours of course work, and COVID closures had a significant impact on development and training.
Facilities were closed and unable to carry out their developmental programs from Learn to Swim to Life Saving and Life Guarding courses, reducing the number of new certified lifeguards coming through the system.
Mercer says while the certification of new lifeguards takes time, the good news is that interest is strong.
Numbers are already on the upswing, with high demand for the Learn to Swim program in particular. “It’s just going to take a little time to get there.”