Lifeguard Shortage Means Swim At Your Own Risk At Many Massachusetts Beaches And Ponds
A new class of lifeguard trainees practice water rescues at Craigville Beach in Barnstable on Cape Cod where a lack of lifeguard classes during the pandemic has led to a lifeguard shortage.
(Marilyn Schairer/GBH News)
Patti Machado is worried. Usually by this time of year, Machado, Barnstable’s recreation director, has a full cadre of 105 lifeguards ready to patrol Cape Cod’s beaches and ponds. But not this year. The town is facing a lifeguard shortage as the busy summer season gets underway.
“So, at the moment, we are 22 lifeguards short,” she said.
Other municipalities across the Commonwealth are facing the same situation with fewer lifeguards to watch over swimmers at public swim areas.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation aims to hire approximately 600 lifeguards for agency-managed waterfront locations across the Commonwealth, including ocean and inland beaches, swimming pools, and wading pools. The DCR hasn’t filled all the spots yet.