TUCSON PARKS AND RECREATION INCREASES LIFEGUARD PAY

In February, Tucson Parks and Recreation increased lifeguard rate of pay to $15/hour. However, in response to an extreme lifeguard shortage, the City has again increased the rate of pay, to $16.75/hour. The department is seeking to hire an additional 200 lifeguards to safely manage our summer pool operations, swim lessons, and youth camp programs. The City has only been able to open 10 pools this summer. It is our goal to hire enough additional lifeguards to open 10 more summer pools as soon as possible.

Lifeguard recruitment remains a top priority and hiring will remain open. The minimum age to be a lifeguard is 15 years old. The American Red Cross lifeguard training classes are mandatory for all lifeguarding positions. Tucson Parks and Recreation offers classes to get certifications. The lifeguard class is an intense, fast-paced course and strong swim skills are required. Anyone interested who wants to practice can go to an open City pool and utilize the deep ends and lap lanes prior to taking the class. A waitlist is open online, and participants will be contacted as classes become available. Sign up here.

Training includes:
- American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer Certification
- First Aid Basics
- Lifeguard Certification
- Swim test
- Swim 300 yards combination of front Crawl (freestyle) and breaststroke, continuous swim, but not timed  
- Tread water for two minutes with hands out of water  
- Retrieve a 10-pound dive weight from 7 feet deep, surface, and swim 20 yards with the weight, using legs only and exit the pool without using a ladder within 100 seconds.
- Swim 500 yards including front crawl, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke  
- 25-yard sprint 18 seconds or less  
- Tread with 10-pound dive weight for 60 seconds using legs only
- Enter deep water and surface dive to retrieve a 10-lb dive weight from 12ft deep and bring it to the surface in 13 sec or less (11 seconds if you dive straight into deep water, but surface dive requirement is preferred)  - Swim 25 yards sidestroke while carrying 10-pound dive weight on hip in under two minutes (goal time is 1:20)

For those lacking the lifeguard certification, call (520) 791-4245 for information on where to get certified. The City of Tucson requires all employees, including lifeguards, to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by their scheduled start date. Apply online at Tucsonaz.gov/jobs.