Half of all Raleigh's pools not yet open due to lifeguard shortage

Half of all City of Raleigh parks are closed right now, according to Ken Hisler, assistant director at the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.

The city is looking for at least 75 new lifeguards, but Hisler says 100 new lifeguards would be ideal.

“[We] had to delay opening in some cases, we may not have all the bodies of water open and some of our year round pools. We’ve been limited in instructions and swims lessons,” Hisler said.

The shortage of lifeguards is nothing new, but the pandemic has made it much worse.

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"I think a lot of people consider during the pandemic what they really want to do," he said.

Hisler said the parks department has increased pay from$9 to $13 in hopes of attracting staff, however, only around 30% of the last round of applications passed the required swim test.

"It’s kind of physically demanding. You have to be able to swim, you have to be able to go 300 yards without stopping. You have to tread water for a few minutes and you need to be able to pull a 10 pound block off the bottom of the pool and do some swimming in it,” he said.

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“We hope it doesn’t come to that, we are always working to juggle," he said "It comes down to safety first, and we will not put anyone in a position where any risk goes into that.”