OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — COVID-19 complicated lifeguarding in 2020. The worldwide pandemic not only forced lifeguards to reconsider how they patrol, but it also made recruiting a challenge for Delmarva’s beach patrols.
COVID-19 disrupted testing opportunities, and forced beach patrols like in Ocean City to adjust its academy, meaning new lifeguards couldn’t get onto the beach until later in the summer.
Heading into this year, beach resorts are hoping for a more normal summer, but so far, that hasn’t been the case for beach patrols, which have experienced many of the same problems as last year.
Agencies in Delaware and Maryland reported having more issues this year with recruiting and staffing than they did in 2020. Despite the challenges, the agencies expect to either hit their staffing goals or exceed them and offer a record level of lifeguards on patrol this summer.
Ocean City dealt with more issues than usual with recruiting new lifeguards and getting veterans to return, said Butch Arbin, captain of the Ocean City Beach Patrol. However, OCBP did resume its normal testing schedule.
“This is definitely unique, actually more unique than last year, which is interesting,” Arbin said.
RECORD LEVEL OF LIFEGUARDS ON PATROL
As of early May, Ocean City is on track to have more lifeguards than it did last year, Arbin said. Part of that is due to more lifeguards returning to Ocean City this year and the fact that the town will hold its first surf rescue academy at its normal time, before Memorial Day.
OCBP had to delay its first academy of the season last year because of the pandemic. Ocean City closed its beach and Boardwalk at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and didn’t reopen until a couple weeks before Memorial Day.
“Memorial Day Monday, not only will we have our returning guards, which there are more, we’re going to have a surf rescue academy that graduates and goes onto the beach, so our numbers are going to be higher this year than last year - and last year was the highest we’ve ever had,” Arbin said.
Other beach patrols in Delaware reported similar results from their recruiting efforts this spring.
In Rehoboth Beach and North Shores, both agencies said they are at or expect to reach full staffing this summer.
Rehoboth Beach Patrol has hired 20 new lifeguards in addition to the 30 full- and part-time guards who will be returning, according to Capt. Jeff Giles. Rehoboth Beach Patrol even added another tryout date on May 15 to recruit more lifeguards.
The additional tryout, as well as the new and returning staff should help Rehoboth Beach reach its full staffing, Giles wrote in an email.
“IT’S EASY TO SIGN UP, BUT HARD TO SHOW UP”
Getting to full staffing has been a challenge for beach patrols on the Delmarva Peninsula.
OCBP had 256 people preregister for its last physical assessment in April, but only 105 showed up, Arbin said. Of the 105 who did show, 52 passed, which is about normal, but only 41 accepted invitations to join Ocean City’s surf rescue academy.
“The problem we’re having is, it’s easy to sign up but it’s hard for them to show up,” Arbin said of the ongoing recruitment challenge.
The beach patrol in Bethany Beach changed its recruiting and tryout system this year because of COVID-19, but remains on track to be fully staffed this year, said Capt. Joe Donnelly.
Interested individuals were asked to submit a video of their tryout, which includes certain running and swimming events, Donnelly wrote in an email. The submissions had to meet certain criteria, but for those who passed, they then moved on to interviews, which were also held virtually.
“I would say that we had a typical year in terms of the amount of interest that we received to fill our open lifeguard positions this year,” Donnelly said. “Other than our adjusted tryout procedures due to COVID, there was nothing unusual about our spring hiring process.”
Ocean City is also having a hard time getting some veteran lifeguards to return because of issues with the United States Postal Service, Arbin said.
At the beginning of each April, Arbin sends out paperwork to each returning lifeguard. Issues with the mail service made getting paperwork to and from returning lifeguards an ordeal for OCBP.
“With returning lifeguards, the biggest problem this year was the mail,” Arbin said. “I had people in Ocean City that didn’t get the mailing, yet it made it all the way to Indiana to a guy that lives and works out there as a teacher.”
Approximately 42 people out of the 183 veteran lifeguards have yet to respond to OCBP as of April 29, which Arbin believes has a lot to do with the U.S. mail, he said.
HOUSING MAJOR ISSUE FOR BEACH PATROLS
Multiple beach patrol agencies on the Delmarva Peninsula reported having major issues finding affordable housing for their lifeguards.
“My people are telling me it’s worse than it’s been for many, many years with trying to find affordable seasonal housing,” Arbin said.
Affordable housing for seasonal workers has been a growing issue in Ocean City for a while, but multiple business groups, establishments and others have reported that the problem has intensified in 2021.
This week the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce called the lack of seasonal housing a “huge problem” and announced it was partnering with Holtz Builders, a builder based in Wisconsin, to create more affordable housing for seasonal workers.
OCBP lost some lifeguards because they couldn’t find affordable housing, Arbin said. Once they started looking and couldn’t find a place to stay, some changed their minds about coming and decided to take a different job or stay home.
In Rehoboth Beach and North Shores, lifeguards there are also having trouble finding affordable housing for the summer.
Finding places for lifeguards to stay is the main challenge facing Rehoboth Beach Patrol this summer, Giles said.
“We put our new conditional hires in a text thread with returning guards and other lifeguards from nearby patrols,” Giles said. “Also, the Rehoboth-Dewey Chamber of Commerce has been a tremendous help. Our alumni organization also is looking into ways to assist.”
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