Chicago's City Pools Won't Open Until July Due To Lifeguard Shortage

CHICAGO — Chicago residents hoping to take a dip into one of the city’s 49 pools will have to wait until after the July 4 holiday due to a shortage of lifeguards.

City pools were scheduled to reopen on June 24 but the opening is pushed back to July 5 due to the shortage, officials with the Chicago Park District said.

Park district officials said that the department has enough lifeguards to staff city beaches, but the pools remain a different story. Officials said that the priority for lifeguards remains city beaches, and with the national shortage of lifeguards that has been an ongoing issue, the pools have experienced a serious shortfall.

The park district has responded by trying to lure lifeguard candidates in with cash sign-on bonuses of up to $600, but for now, the pools will remain empty.

“Opening pools on July 5th will allow the District additional time to recruit and implement a strategy that provides pool resources to as many communities as possible this summer," the Park District said in a news release.

"Over the next week, we will continue to evaluate staffing numbers to determine a plan for summer pool operations.”

Nationally, about a third of pools either won’t open or will limit hours due to lifeguard shortages, American Lifeguard Association Director Bernard J. Fisher II told Newsweek.

“Regretfully, it's probably going to be the worst summer,” he said. “We have 309,000 public pools in the U.S. but we don't have the youth in the ratio to the population.”

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed, as it has regarding labor shortages in other aspects of life.

But with lifeguards, it’s more complicated than that. The pandemic meant fewer training opportunities both to become lifeguards and to recertify, Fisher told NPR.

And on top of that, the lifeguard shortage existed before the pandemic, driven by an abrupt change in immigration policy, Fisher said.

Lifeguards found better opportunities at condos and hotels about 20 years ago, leading municipalities and others to rely mainly on Eastern Europeans with J-1 visas allowing them to work in the United States, Fisher told NPR.

Park district officials said that they need about 300 lifeguards to open the city’s pools in July. But reaching that total remains in question, which prompted the park district to increase the cash bonus the department is opening to potential lifeguards.

Lifeguards must also be fully vaccinated, which park district officials acknowledged is adding to the challenge of finding qualified candidates.

The park district is offering $600 bonuses to all new hires as well as returning seasonal and full-time lifeguards. Park district employees who refer candidates who end up getting hired will receive a $500 bonus, and the park district is offering the chance for full-time employment to lifeguards who complete the seasonal assignment, officials said.

“Chicago families rely on our park programs during the summer, so we are not giving up. We need lifeguards NOW and are offering great incentives to anyone who is a strong swimmer and interested in keeping the public safe,” Park District general superintendent Rosa Escareño said. “The regional and national lifeguard shortage is real and our goal is to increase lifeguard coverage, incentivize qualified seasonal employees this summer and build a pipeline for year-round workers. We hope the retention and referral bonuses along with a path to permanent employment attract qualified candidates to support our summer programming."

The park district pays lifeguards $15.88 per hour and according to the officials, the department is waving city residency requirements to fill necessary spots. With the $600 bonus, it takes the hourly rate for lifeguards up to $17.08.

As part of the application process, candidates must be fully vaccinated and take an American Red Cross Lifeguard training course, which costs $80.