By Perry Schaible
Enquirer contributor

LANDEN - The lifeguards at the Woodfield Recreation Association pool aren't typical American teenagers basking in the sunlight of a summer job.

They're Czech college students brought to the United States to fill the growing demand for lifeguards here.

"There are more pools going in and not enough people to staff them," said Cindy Tiemann, aquatics coordinator for the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross.

That organization certified 1,218 lifeguards in 2003, but a five-year national shortage has led many companies to use alternative resources to fill seasonal positions.

17-year-old Emily Bauer stands watch over the pool at the Pineridge Recreation Association in Deerfield Township. (Ernest Coleman photo)

"I don't think you get paid that much," said Emily Bauer, 17, a lifeguard at Pineridge Recreation Association. "You're always worried that someone's going to drown. That's something that someone might not want to deal with."

Last year, Cincinnati Pool Management's parent company, Atlanta-based Pool Management Group, got involved with the Council on International Educational Exchange to hire seasonal staff from overseas.

Cincinnati Pool Management operates 110 Tristate pools, including Woodfield and Pineridge. It hires 550 lifeguards a season and currently has 35 international guards.

"They're the hardest workers that we have," said Lindsay Ferguson, human resource director for Cincinnati Pool Management.

All lifeguards are certified in the United States, and most pool members have been receptive.

"These lifeguards are on top of things," said Julie Himes, a member of the Woodfield pool and mother of three children.

"It's a challenge for everyone who has a pool to get lifeguards," said Bunny Arszman, communications manager for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

Five years ago, officials questioned whether they could open all 41 city pools.

"A few years ago, we could see we needed to do something so that it didn't happen again," Arszman said.

The Cincinnati Recreation Commission now recruits heavily at high schools during the winter and even pays for American Red Cross training for employees.

Pineridge assistant manager Diana Zinn, 17, said a lot of her friends work at restaurants. She said starting lifeguard pay is about $6.50 an hour.

"Basically I'm getting paid to sit out in the sun," Bauer, a second-year lifeguard, said. "I work pretty much every day. If I wasn't working, I'd be at the pool anyway."

The local chapter of the American Red Cross will offer more classes throughout the summer to combat the shortage.

Get in the swim

The next lifeguard training course starts July 27 and runs through Aug. 8. For more information, call 792-4000.

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E-mail pschaible@hotmail.com