VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County Beach Safety said it’s offering additional perks like better pay and bonuses to fill open lifeguard positions.
In a post on social media, Beach Safety said the starting pay for lifeguards will now begin at $17 per hour, with the opportunity to get up to $1,750 in bonuses for new or returning guards.
The county said it has roughly 150 part time and seasonal positions available.
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In 2022, the county bumped up lifeguard pay to $15 an hour with $500 bonus opportunities.
Volusia County Beach Safety is responsible for guarding over 40 miles of coastline in the county. Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law that gave the sheriff’s office control of beach safety.
“In the 2023 season, Volusia County Beach Safety demonstrated unwavering commitment, performing 2,512 water rescues and 35,811 preventive actions, responding to 1,162 medical emergencies, and addressing 41,272 calls for service,” leaders said on social media.
Applicants looking to apply to be a lifeguard with Volusia County should be able to swim 500 meters freestyle in under 10 minutes, swim 50 yards in freestyle in under 30 seconds, run a half-mile in under 3 minutes and 15 seconds, and complete a successful recruitment class and background checks, the county said.
Beach Safety Deputy Chief Aaron Jenkins said Volusia beaches are busier than they’ve ever been.
“The coast is still rebuilding and with that you get a lot of rip currents, so we’re trying to hire as many part-time lifeguards to supplement our full-time staff,” Jenkins said. “You think about our part-time guard staff, the lion’s share of those lifeguards, they’re high school and college-aged, so we’ll see them come back during spring break which will work out quite well.”
Lifeguards Gabrielle Pisarczyk and Elijah Linkinhoker spoke to News 6 about the job’s balance of risk and reward, expressing what motivates them to continue keeping beachgoers safe.
“Knowing that me being there and being able to help that person who could have possibly not made it is just extremely rewarding and makes me feel really good to know I was there,” Pisarczyk said. “You should just do it. It’s an amazing job and I think it’s really rewarding both mentally and physically.”
“Once I started training for it and preparing for it, I realized it was something I really love to do,” Linkinhoker said. “Knowing that whether or not someone can go home is completely up to you and your performance and stuff, it makes you want to push harder and get better at every little skill and technique it takes to complete a successful rescue.”
The county said it plans to hold several swim tryouts opportunities in the coming months. Those tryouts will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 2 and March 16 at the Ormond Beach YMCA at 500 Sterthaus Drive in Ormond Beach, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 9 and 23 at the Port Orange YMCA at 4701 City Center Parkway in Port Orange.
Those interested can apply for a job before or after trying out.
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