Unlike the past few years, pool closures and canceled aquatic programs have not been a problem this summer for the four facilities with pools in Jefferson and west St. Louis County.
Representatives from the YMCAs in Fenton and Festus and the city-operated pools in Arnold and Eureka said they had struggled to hire lifeguards over the previous few years but saw the number of candidates for those jobs rise this summer.
Renee Jeep, director of operations for Midwest Pool Management, which handles hiring lifeguards and operating pools at the Arnold Parks and Recreation Center and the Timbers of Eureka, said it had been difficult to staff facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are (now) having an easier time finding lifeguards,” Jeep said. “We’ve had enough lifeguards to cover the pools.”
Rebecca Bishop, executive director at the Jefferson County YMCA in Festus, also said it was easier to fill lifeguard positions this summer.
“Water safety is so important,” she said. “We cannot have a pool up and running without adequate lifeguards. You don’t have lifeguards, you don’t open the pool.”
Arnold
The Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road, has indoor and outdoor pools.
The outdoor pool features water slides, a lazy river and a splash pad, and the indoor pool has a designated section for laps, a lazy river and a children’s play area.
Arnold Parks and Recreation Department director Dave Crutchley said the rec center typically employs about 60 lifeguards when both pools are open.
“(Arnold) has a strong staff and great leaders,” Jeep said. “The city is wonderful to work with. The facility is very family friendly.”
Crutchley said the indoor pool will be closed from July 10 to Sept. 18 so rust may be removed from beams and ductwork over the indoor pool facility. The beams and ductwork also will be repainted, a new staircase for the slide will be installed, and new flooring will be laid in the men’s and women’s locker rooms.
Crutchley said the city plans to keep the outdoor pool open longer this summer so people will have a place to swim during the indoor pool closure. The outdoor pool typically closes after Labor Day, which is Sept. 4.
He said the outdoor pool is expected to be open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., weather permitting, for aquatic classes and for members to swim laps. The outdoor pool will then be open for recreational use at 11 a.m. for members and 11:30 a.m. for non-members, and it will close daily at 7 p.m.
Festus
The Jefferson County YMCA, 1303 YMCA Drive, in Festus has an indoor pool used for lap and recreational swimming, aquatic classes and swimming lessons. The pool is open from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Bishop said during the winter, the pool had to be closed a few hours each day because there were not enough lifeguards. She said one lifeguard is needed for every 25 swimmers.
She also said the aquatics director, Brian Kennedy, frequently filled a lifeguard shift in order to keep the pool open.
Bishop said the need to fill vacant shifts has not been as much of a problem, adding that both older and younger people applied for and were hired as lifeguards this summer.
“I think it’s a good job for anybody at any stage in life,” Bishop said.
Fenton
Tom Verheyen, executive director at RiverChase YMCA, 990 Horan Road, in Fenton said he has found it easier of late to hire lifeguards and he attributes that to the YMCA increasing lifeguards’ pay and lowering the age limit to work as a lifeguard. Last year, lifeguards had to be at least 16 years old, and this year, he said lifeguards may be as young as 15.
This is the second year the YMCA has operated RiverChase, which previously was run by the city of Fenton.
The facility has indoor and outdoor pools, which are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Verheyen said a strong push to hire lifeguards year-round, which included attending high school job fairs, helped increase the lifeguard staff to 40 this summer.
“Last year was a great challenge,” Verheyen said. “The sole way we were able to operate was by sharing lifeguards (from other YMCA facilities).”
Eureka
The Timbers of Eureka, 1 Coffey Park Lane, in Eureka has a full staff of lifeguards for the first time in a few years, Eureka Parks and Recreation director Kristin Christenson said.
“The lifeguard shortage has been going on for the last couple of years, even prior to COVID,” she said. “This year, we have actually seen an influx in lifeguards. The company we use (to hire lifeguards) said we haven’t seen these kinds of numbers in years.”
The Timbers has a lazy river, leisure pool, waterfall and slide.
The pool is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays; noon to 6:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays through Aug. 13. From Aug. 14 through Sept. 3, it is open from 4-6:30 p.m. on Fridays; noon to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The pool’s last day of operation is from noon to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4.
Lifeguard requirements
To become a lifeguard in Missouri, applicants must be at least 15 years old. They must be able to swim 300 yards continuously using the breaststroke or front crawl, and tread water for two minutes using only their legs, according to the American Aquatics and Safety Training website, lifeguardandsafetytraining.com.
They also have to complete a timed event, in which the applicant swims and dives to retrieve a 10-pound object, the website said.
Applicants who pass the 26 1/2-hour course, approved by the Missouri Department of Health, will be certified as lifeguards and to give first aid and perform CPR, according to the website.
The American Red Cross offers in-person lifeguard training or a blend of online coursework and in-person skills sessions. It also has lifeguarding review courses for those who need to renew their certification.
For more information about the training, go to redcross.org.
Jeep said being a lifeguard is a great job for those who like to socialize.
“You get to work with your peers, be outside and interact with the community,” she said.