Hiring Lifeguards Remains a Challenge as Pools Reopen | Scripps News

“It has been an ongoing struggle to get in and retain lifeguards over the years,” said Wyatt Werneth with the American Lifeguard Association. He believes the job lacks popularity these days and reflects on the impact the show, “Baywatch,” had on previous generations of lifeguards. “Baywatch was so exciting. It was a career filled with excitement and beautiful people, helicopters, fast boats. We wanted to be lifeguards, and we don’t have anything like that now,” says Werneth.