Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Codebook
3. Discussion of Findings
   • Job Responsibilities
   • Pool Management
   • Finances
   • Recruitment Pipelines
4. Conclusion

Overview

We conducted with local and statewide lifeguards. We conducted these interviews in a group setting over Zoom with at least two people per group. Every interview started off with a structured set of questions and prompts to start a dialogue. These questions were about their background, why they chose to be a lifeguard, what made them stay or leave, and their perspective on the lifeguard shortage within Hartford. We wanted to start out with a macro perspective and then work down to a micro level of Hartford and the individual pools that we had. This allowed for a pointed and structured conversation that also allowed for natural flow.

Codebook

Discussion of Findings

Job Responsibilities– Expectations of lifeguards including and beyond job description and challenges faced. Many lifeguards cited themselves as having to go above and beyond what would normally be expected of a lifeguard. Sub-themes include different tasks and situations.

“If there’s not enough people to staff the beach and have lifeguards, everyone there becomes like a bathhouse attendant and does maintenance like picks up trash, rakes the beach, signs people in, but there’s no guard on duty.”

• Pool Maintenance
• Unpredictable Hours
• Unpredictable Atmosphere
• Lifeguarding Responsibilities
• Certification Process
• Park Environment

Pool Management – Lifeguards’ relationship with management, as it affects the pool environment. Management was cited as being absent or ill-equipped to deal with the constantly changing environment of lifeguarding. Sub-themes include specified issues with the workplace.

“I remember one day it was just me and one other person… and we didn’t have exact directions.”

“As I said before, you didn’t have a boss there… you didn’t have someone there to support you.”

• Disorganized Workplace
• Lack of onsite support/supervision
• Unqualified Management/ Disconnect
• Lack of Lifeguard Authority
• Overcrowding

Finances – Monetary issues around training and compensation. Money was and is a major factor in lifeguard retention and recruitment. Higher wages from other jobs during the busy season of lifeguarding compete directly with hiring lifeguards.  Sub-themes include problems and solutions.

“If there’s something that would make me go back [to lifeguarding] right now, this summer, instead of going to scoop ice cream, it would most likely just be pay. That’s what I would say cause it was minimum wage. You don’t get any tips. It’s pretty stressful. It’s like I work at the ice cream parlor. I’m chilling out. I’m not doing much. I’m scooping ice cream, and I’m getting tips. So I mean, it’s like I’m getting close to $20 an hour instead of $14 an hour.”

• Need for higher hourly wage
• Cost of Certification/Recertification
• Incentives
• Time for Certification Process
• The need for consistent/Year-round hours
• City/ State competition

Recruitment Pipelines – Methods of hiring and keeping lifeguards. One of the solutions and successes mentioned throughout our interviews. Sub-themes encapsulate different methods necessary to establish this pipeline and some problems that would be solved upon its establishment. 

“I got an email from my [College]. They were offering free certification, and they would offer you a job if you finished that certification. And that process was like a week, like a couple of hours out of my day, each day. And we would do the entire training process where we would practice saves and all of that for about a week. And then by the end of it we would take the Red Cross test and then they would hire you right after. So it was a really easy process, which was really nice.”

• Swim training and access to public pools
• Guaranteed hire with certification
• Recreational swim teams
• Lifeguard Community
• Need for retention

 

Conclusion

Throughout conducting and drawing significant themes and subthemes from our interviews, our team was able to identify concrete macro and micro issues with lifeguarding as a whole and in Hartford. We realized that the city of Hartford needs to provide more significant resources to its community, current hires, and potential hires to bolster the lifeguard population in Hartford and combat the systematic barriers. It will not be an easy task, but a necessary one that has the potential to save many lives and change the outlook of the community in Hartford and the surrounding areas. Hartford does have the potential to be an example of success in this field and inspire other areas to look at their model.