L.A.'s Lifeguards Face Tough Tests In Job Competition
From the small coastal town of Santa Barbara to the affluent resort city of Coronado, Southern California offers many year-round job opportunities for brave lifeguards. In fact, the Golden State leads the nation in the number of physically-fit workers whose responsibilities involve supervising the safety and rescue efforts of swimmers, surfers and other water sports enthusiasts.
In the greater Los Angeles region, these expert swimmers earn an average annual salary of about $31,000, with full-time lifeguards making $27 per hour, according to current data. With more than 60 million beachcombers drawn to Los Angeles County's 31 miles of landforms along the Pacific Ocean within a given year, these tanned hard bodies are kept busy, anticipating imminent danger. By the end of a single year, on-duty lifeguards have been known to have initiated about 12,000 rescues.
Earning the right to sit atop a watch tower and don those recognizable red trunks requires strenuous training. Open-water lifeguards in the City of Angels represent a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, consisting of highly-skilled men and women. Of the estimated 300 hopefuls that compete for positions each year, only 80 of the fastest, strongest and intellectually-adept athletes make the cut.
In September, Los Angeles County conducts an entrance exam for qualified candidates. The trial involves an exhausting 1,000-meter ocean swim to be completed in less than 20 minutes. Applicants must then take a series of comprehensive tests, both written and physical. The number of contenders is further reduced to 50. Those are the chosen few that will enter a red-letter academy, where they will undergo a fierce 100-hour training course to prepare them for the most challenging environment for a lifeguard.
Over a period of 10 days, the next wave of aquatic heroes learns how to identify and make a rescue, enforce city ordinances and provide first aid, including CPR. If a lifeguard is already a certified emergency medical technician, he or she will be offered a higher pay rate for the post assignment.
To view what open-water lifeguard training entails, watch this video, courtesy of the City of Los Angeles.
Sharon Raiford Bush is an award-winning journalist who covers topics of social interest in greater Los Angeles. Some news articles she has authored have been archived by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Sharon also contributes to Examiner.com.
