BUFFALO, N.Y. — The record heat is reason enough to send people to cooling centers and splash pads. However, a hot topic is recruiting more lifeguards. Buffalo is aggressively recruiting for more to open city pools, especially as we approach the end of the school year. The city is hoping to get 80 lifeguards for the season. Unfortunately, the city missed its goal. Instead, Buffalo's Mayor, Byron Brown, says he has a little over 40 lifeguards.
"The good news is, we will be opening pools this year after not being able to open them for two years. We don't have enough now to open every single pool. We are hoping we'll get there. Right now, we have trained and recruited over 40 lifeguards. We continue the recruitment effort," says Mayor Bryon Brown.
According to Mayor Brown, the 40-plus lifeguards hired are enough to open some city pools.
Not all will reopen. Brown says it's too early to determine which ones will open. Brown says the administration will make announcements detailing which pools are opening and when soon.
That's good news as we get ready for more summer heat.
However, one pool many people are waiting to reopen is at Ralph Wilson Park, formally known as Lasalle. According to Council President Darrius Pridgen, Lasalle's Pool is one of the pools designated to reopen. Despite the park undergoing a multimillion dollar face-lift, it will not keep the pool from opening. President Pridgen says opening that pool is one of his priorities.
"We have partnered with the Buffalo Swimmers- who teach swimming. The city has given them money in the budget. We have more young people starting to swim now and become lifeguards," says Council President Pridgen. He continues, "For other pools, the administration will decide based on how many lifeguards and what sides of towns. They'll be making that announcement shortly."
The reopenings come after the city's aggressive effort to recruit and retain more lifeguards. Mayor Brown feels his approach worked. The city offered free training courses, paid training courses; even raised the pay wage to $20 per hour. The city is still recruiting.
"Because we continue to recruit, I think we added another person today. We'll continue that aggressive outreach to find people who are lifeguards or who can be trained as lifeguards," Brown says.