ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Parking spots at Cortez Beach were nearly filled last Thursday and beachgoers packed the prime areas near the water, but one location remained empty – the lifeguard stand.
The three Anna Maria Island public beaches – Manatee, Cortez and Coquina – have been subject to lifeguard staffing shortages for about the past year and a half, and weekend-only coverage at Cortez Beach has been one response to the scarcity of staff, Manatee County Marine Rescue Chief Joe Westerman said.
“When something happens at one beach, we have to bring people from other beaches to help,” he said. “It has a domino effect.”
With six vacant lifeguard spots, Manatee County is currently running at slightly more than 70% capacity of its 21 potential positions. Westerman said that the current staff has been working overtime to make up for the shortfall in coverage.
“We have a core group of dedicated professionals right now that thrive in this job,” he said. “I’d like to keep them and get more.”
Despite staffing shortages, Westerman said with an annual average of 90-135 riptide rescues at the three beaches, Manatee County lifeguards may have prevented a corresponding number of potential deaths.
“I would call riptide rescues critical rescues,” he said. “Those are possible deaths. If someone gets caught and a lay person tries to help them, someone may drown.”
A rip current warning poster on the lifeguard stand at Cortez Beach issues the following cautions: “Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current then to shore. If you can’t escape, float or tread water. If you need help, call or wave for assistance.”
“You can’t predict riptides – you don’t know when they’ll happen,” he said. “A sea breeze could kick in and it could only take a one- to two-foot chop for it to happen.”
Manatee County is far from the only location where lifeguards are in short supply.
“There is a national shortage for lifeguards where one-third of the nation’s pools aren’t opening,” Westerman said. “The ocean is different. We can’t close the door. People still come to the beach.”
He said the requirements to become a lifeguard are more stringent than some people may think.
“I could get 12 applicants and send out invitations to test and maybe one or two of them will show up,” he said.
According to the Beach Lifeguard I or II job posting by Manatee County, the following are among the job requirements:
“Must be able to demonstrate successfully 50 meters of each of the following swim strokes in a pool: Freestyle, Breaststroke, Sidestroke and Backstroke. Must be able to run ½ mile in 3:30 minutes or less, swim 500 meters in open water in 10 minutes or less and demonstrate a non-equipment rescue of an active, panicked victim from 100 meters offshore. Must be able to demonstrate paddling a rescue board approximately 200 meters.”
“This is a physically demanding job. They (our staff) are professionals and athletes,” Westerman said. “The 500-meter swim in 10 minutes is a nationally-set standard. There’s no deviation from that.”
Candidates must also be able to acquire and maintain American Heart Association CPR certification and First Responder/EMR or First-Aid Certification within 30 days of the hire date.
“First and foremost, get in the water and swim and be honest with yourself,” Westerman advises potential candidates. “Don’t just be satisfied with 500 meters, swim 1,000. Practice back, side and breaststrokes.”
The pay range for a Beach Lifeguard I is between $17.80 and $24.75 per hour.
“There are some pay-related issues,” among others, he said. “When COVID hit, people rethought what they wanted to do with their lives and in this job, you are putting your life on the line.”
Westerman said there was a recent increase in offered pay and praised Manatee County commissioners for what he called their great support.
There is a $1 per hour incentive for those with an EMT license, and a $1 per hour incentive for Rescue Diver certification.
“Currently we have six state-certified EMTs and one state-certified paramedic on our roster,” he said. “If someone wants to become an EMT, they can be reimbursed for school.”
Lifeguards respond to water and land-borne emergencies and provide rescues to beachgoers and boaters in the surf environment as well as on shore, and provide basic emergency medical care, according to an online job posting.
“We are the only entity besides the fire and police departments where we have seconds to make a decision to save someone’s life,” Westerman said. “This is with minimal equipment. We actively watch all day for something to happen.”
There is a community-oriented aspect to the job as well.
“We want people who are comfortable talking with the public and working around tourists,” Westerman said. “My wish list would be to have qualified candidates in a line out the door.”
For more information, visit mymanatee.org/jobs.
