21 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Pool season begins on May 29. At the start of May, the City of Wichita said it was nearly 40 lifeguards short of what is needed to keep all the pools open this summer.
A lot of interest in the lifeguard openings sparked over the last couple of weeks. The city is hosting training sessions for over 50 applicants to get certified this pool season.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that we have this number of people that are wanting to become lifeguards. Really it comes down to keeping our community safe and helping our partners within the community,” said City Aquatics Supervisor, Joe Marten.
The certification includes a pre-course that will test for swimming and diving capabilities. Then, applicants will go through the American Red Cross certification process.
“We’ve got our CPR skills, we’ve got our rescues and recognition skills, we also teach them spinal and mobilization skills for someone who has jumped in and potentially injured their head, neck or spine,” said Marten.
“Upon completion of the course, we will be hiring them. And being that we were so short, we will definitely be flexible and see if we need to be adding more classes throughout the summer,” said Wichita Parks and Recreation Director, Troy Houtman.
The city originally planned to open pools on a rolling schedule due to the staff shortage. They said now that plan could change.
“We’ll have a really good idea by Wednesday of next week. The first few weekends are going to be the toughest, but if everything goes well, I think we will be able to operate without any closures. But safety is always our highest priority,” said Houtman.
Marten also says there are cashier positions that need to be filled, so applicants who do not complete the lifeguard certification can still be hired by the city.
To apply for a job or find a nearby swimming pool, click here.