About 1,000 park service employees were laid off in February by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Wade said. An estimated 2,500 permanent park service workers — or about 13% of the total workforce — also accepted buyouts or early retirements offered by the administration in its effort to downsize the federal government. A hiring freeze for seasonal employees also delayed the recruiting season for lifeguards.
The park service is not providing information about the impact the employment squeeze is having on lifeguard services at national parks because park staffers have been told not to discuss the issue, according to a federal lawmaker, the association, and local elected officials.
The park service cuts come amid an overall national shortage in lifeguards that already raises the risk for swimming at beaches and pools. About a third of the country’s 309,000 public swimming pools remained closed or opened sporadically last year due to the shortage, according to the American Lifeguard Association.
Each year, about 4,000 people drown in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 through 14.
About 50%-75% of drownings occur in open water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds. Some estimates indicate that the chance of drowning at a beach protected by lifeguards can be less than 1 in 18 million, according to the CDC.
Lambert here: See, there’s your problem. Those beaches are public.
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