City of Phoenix

A lifeguard stands watch at a Phoenix pool.

Phoenix is boosting pay for lifeguards during the 2022 season.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering $2,500 on top of the job’s hourly rate of $14.02, and it will be dispersed at the beginning and end of the season. 

Becky Hulett is the department’s aquatic supervisor. She says it’s important that Phoenix is able to adequately staff its pools.    

"If we did not meet the 650 staffing levels that we need, we would not be able to open the 29 pools, which is where we are currently at, which is also part of the reason we are utilizing the incentive pay," Hulett said.

Hulett also noted the difficulty in staffing lifeguards since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We closed the pools in 2020 due to the pandemic, and trying to reinstate our staffing levels was very difficult in 2021," Hulett said. "We’re reeling from the effects of the pandemic.”

A person must be certified as a lifeguard, work the whole summer, and finish in “good standing” in order to get the bonus. Certification classes run now through the end of March, and applicants must be 15 years or older.