美国国家公共电台 NPR--Swimmers should get ready for another summer short on lifeguards

Swimmers should get ready for another summer short on lifeguards

Transcript¹

Over a decade ago, about 100 people showed up to apply for the two beach lifeguard positions available in Brevard County, Fla., said Wyatt Werneth, who was the chief lifeguard at the time. This year, the number of applicants³ and open slots had somewhat flipped⁴.

"With 50 positions to be filled in this open water environment, only two people came out for the initial training," Werneth told NPR.

Across the country, fewer people are up for the task to be water rescuers at their local public pools and beaches. The issue has been brewing⁵ for years, with poor pay and waning⁶ interest playing a part. The pandemic aggravated⁷ the situation.

Last summer, the stubborn shortage led to beach closures, shortened hours and slashed⁸ community programs. Werneth, who is also the spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association, anticipates the same to happen this year — especially at public pools.

"We have over 309,000 public pools and we're looking at an impact of over 50% of them being closed or having a reduction in hours," he said.

The consequences can be fatal. According to the CDC, for children ages 5 to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death, mainly in pools, lakes, rivers or oceans.

Blame the end of Baywatch, and a halt on visas

There is a high bar to become a lifeguard — candidates have to be great swimmers, physically⁹ fit, responsible, as well as complete a series of trainings on CPR and first responder skills.

In the past, lifeguarding was considered an esteemed¹⁰, prestigious¹¹ career, but over the years, it has been viewed more as a part-time summer job, according to Werneth. He partly blames the declining interest on the end of the TV hit series Baywatch, which followed a group of attractive lifeguards heroically saving lives by the shore.

"I wanted to be a lifeguard because of Baywatch, Werneth said. "Everyone on that show was revered¹² as adults, it was a career."

But over the years, pay has declined and people "just started looking at it as part-time summer jobs and it mirrored the same pay that waiting tables did," he said.

Another challenge for the lifeguard workforce¹³ has been visas. The industry has relied on thousands of people from Eastern Europe coming to the U.S. on J-1 visas to work as lifeguards. Early in the pandemic, many work visas, including the J-1, were put on pause by the Trump¹⁴ administration.

President Biden allowed this ban to expire in April 2021. But the pipeline¹⁵ hasn't caught up yet.

"The areas where [the visas] have been used in the past are getting them back," said Tom Gil, the vice¹⁶ president of the United States Lifesaving Association. "But there's a lot to be done on both ends of the spectrum¹⁷ between the applicant² and the agency trying to hire."

Cities across the U.S. are scrambling¹⁸ to hire lifeguards

In New York City, roughly a third of the total number of lifeguards needed to staff its pools and beaches are currently filled, WNYC reported. The staffing issue comes after multiple incentives¹⁹ to bolster²⁰ recruitment, including raising the hourly pay from $16.10 to $21.26 and offering a $1,000 bonus.

Meanwhile, in Houston, the mayor announced that the city's pools will open in three phases while officials work to hire and certify²¹ more lifeguards. In Denver, some senior citizens have stepped up to fill the shortage themselves. And in Philadelphia, the city began accepting applications from people without prior swimming experience.

How to keep yourself safe amid the lifeguard shortage

To some extent, the incentives have been working — slowly, Werneth said.

Meanwhile, he has three pieces of advice for people planning to enjoy the water this summer. First, check whether the pool or beach will have a lifeguard on the day of your visit.

Second, "if you have a group of people, assign a water watcher, kind of your own personal lifeguard for your group, someone that's going to not be distracted," he said. "You can have more than one and take turns."

Lastly, if someone does not know how to swim, make sure they don't go into the water without a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

3 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

4 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

5 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

6 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

8 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

12 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

13 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

14 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

15 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

16 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

17 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

18 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

21 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。