May 1—County officials know you can never start too early when it comes to hiring lifeguards.
Glynn County officials started advertising in January to hire lifeguards for the beaches and three public swimming pools, and are still accepting applications for job openings.
Lisa Gurganus, director of the Glynn County Recreation and Parks Department, said she is "90% positive" she will have all the positions filled by the Friday before Memorial Day when the new hires begin working.
She held a job fair at College of Coastal Georgia and reached out to all the lifeguards who worked last year to see if they wanted another summer job with the county.
"We have to recruit early," Gurganus said. "We've had vacancies. We feel we're in a better spot for 2023."
The county needs 21 beach lifeguards and 36 lifeguards to work at the pools at Neptune, Howard Coffin and Seldon parks.
Gurganus said the county lifeguard program, which runs from the start of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, didn't have problems with staffing until the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past, she said parts of swimming pools would have to be closed for a part of the day to make up for the shortage of lifeguards.
"Some activities may have to be restricted during certain times," she said. "We've had vacancies."
Garganus said she needs a full compliment of pool lifeguards to hold special events after regular business hours.
One priority for the swimming pools are swimming lessons for safety reasons because of all the water in the Golden Isles, she said.
Lifeguards at the beach will have more help to keep swimmers safe with a new warning system that will let them know if it's dangerous to go in the water. The system will use red, yellow and green lights to let swimmers know when it's safe to go in the water.
Lifeguard applicants must be at least 16 years old and be able to pass classes, including a stamina test and lifesaving techniques. Lifeguard certification is a plus, but it's not required to apply for a job.
Beach lifeguards get paid $16.03 per hour and pool lifeguards earn $15.41 per hour. Schedules are flexible, but a typical work day on the beach begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. Hours for the swimming pools are flexible.
"We can get them a good 40 hours a week," Gurganus said.
Beach lifeguards earn more because they have to be certified to make open water rescues.
Around the first week of August, Gurganus said she loses about half of her lifeguards because they have to return to school. Some of them will continue to work weekends until Labor Day, she said.