Tide is high for lifeguard jobs as pools prepare to open

From Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Henderson to Wet’n’Wild Las Vegas, pools around the valley are in hiring mode for lifeguards as the warmer weather approaches.

The city of Las Vegas is seeking certified lifeguards and water safety/swim lesson instructors. It needs about 40 lifeguards for the summer.

Lifeguard and swim lesson instructor applicants must be at least 16 and possess certifications in lifeguarding, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use.

Tammy Hawkins is the principal aquatic specialist for the city, which operates six pools. Two of those, the Municipal Pool and the Pavilion Center Pool, are open year-round.

The city employs as many as three dozen lifeguards year-round. But the bulk of them work during the summer season, which generally runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

“We’re looking for somebody who wants to have some longevity with the city — somebody looking for a job where they can work from summer to summer, like for example, somebody who is a student going to school out of state,” Hawkins said. “We’re also looking for people who want to work with us year-round. It’s a very rewarding job because you’re monitoring the safety of the facility so you have the ability to impact an emergency situation and have the ability to make a negative situation turn out to be a positive.”

Tryouts entail a swim portion and demonstrations of CPR and defibrillator use.

“Just because they come in with that (certification) card doesn’t mean that they’re going to be a good fit,” Hawkins said.

Interested candidates can apply at tinyurl.com/lvemployment or call the Municipal Pool at 702-229-6309.

Wet’n’Wild Las Vegas, 7055 S. Fort Apache Road, is heading into its third season and needs more than 450 seasonal job positions filled. The water park is slated to be open from April through September. Some of those seasonal positions are lifeguards.

“We’re looking forward to an exciting third season at Wet‘n’Wild Las Vegas and seek team members who are enthusiastic about welcoming back guests and greeting new visitors to our park,” general manager Takuya Ohki said. “Many of our former staff members will be returning this year, but we are also welcoming new faces. This is a great and fun opportunity for a first summer job.”

The minimum age requirement for employment is 16 or 18, depending on the position. Detailed job descriptions and application instructions can be found at wetnwildlasvegas.com.

For more information, call 702-979-1600.

The YMCA of Southern Nevada plans to offer American Red Cross lifeguard courses every weekend through June and two weekends in July and August. Being certified by the American Red Cross is usually a prerequisite to being hired as a lifeguard in Las Vegas.

The organization also is hiring at all of its branches for seasonal lifeguards. Among the four locations, that means about 60 lifeguards. To apply, applicants should visit lasvegasymca.org and click the “About Us” tab to find the employment page.

Raymond Fraser, senior program director at the YMCA’s SkyView Multi-Generational Center, 3050 E. Centennial Parkway, said he is looking for mature, capable young people who have a full understanding about the importance of lifeguarding and how it relates to child safety in the community.

“The biggest thing to be successful with lifeguarding is preventative measures,” Fraser said. “That’s our top priority. We are doing things on the front end to prevent as many emergencies as possible — communicating with members, rule enforcement, proper patron surveillance, making sure we are being aware of our areas at all times and not getting too heavy with our patron loads, and an appropriate amount of staff up on the stand at all times.”

He said the ideal ratio is to have one lifeguard for every 20 people in the water.

In Henderson, Cowabunga Bay Water Park, 900 Galleria Drive, plans to hire more than 320 positions as the park gears up for its second season of family entertainment. Set to open March 28, the park features 23 acres with more than 20 family water slides and attractions.

The attractions includes nine water slides, four surf and swim pools and an interactive children’s play area with 10 pint-sized slides and tipping buckets.

For those seeking summertime employment, Cowabunga Bay offers a variety of positions, including lifeguards, ride attendants, guest services, cashiers, food service workers and more. General requirements include excellent people skills, reliability, flexible availability and a minimum age of 16. Each employee is slated to be granted a set schedule and extended personalized training, including lifeguard accreditation, as the water park certifies all its lifeguards.

Interested applicants should log onto the employment section of cowabungabay.com/lasvegas to download an employment application.

To reach Summerlina Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.