80 tackle tryouts to pursue coveted lifeguard jobs in Oahu

Trials for 25 coveted lifeguard positions drew 80 hopes on Friday as the city’s Department of Marine Safety and Lifeguard Services subjected potential recruits to a strenuous physical test in the waters off Ala Moana Regional Park.

Four waves of 20 people each sprinted up and down the beach park before jumping into the water to show they were up to the task.

This class of 25 recruits will be one of the greatest of all time, and John Titchen, Chief of Ocean Safety, said he was delighted that so many chose to take the opportunity to serve as lifeguards in town.

“We are very encouraged by what we see. There are many employers who are struggling to find employees right now, ”he said. “We feel very, very good, really excited about what we saw this morning. The people are prepared; they know what they are getting into. “

One reason for the large class of recruits is that Titchen is currently trying to benefit from the high public support for Ocean Safety. During the pandemic, when everything but the beach access to the ocean was closed, many people saw the importance of having the right staffing.

“That really put us in the spotlight. … Our number of cases did not decrease even without visitors. We had residents taking their place, ”he said.

Another reason for the large class of recruits is to ask Ocean Safety to do more work as the department tries to handle longer hours – providing lifeguards in Oahu from morning to evening.

“It is a response to a law passed that obliges us to run a program from morning to night,” said Titchen. “We are constantly expanding our reach. Unfortunately we couldn’t have done that overnight. “

One of the people at the tryouts on Friday was Carlos Diaz, who said he trained every day after signing up on December 17th to complete the physical test, the timed sprints, a 1,000 yard run and swimming and included a 400 yard surfboard rescue.

“I grew up a water boy all my life, played water polo, went swimming in college, high school, and middle school,” said Diaz. “I said to myself, why not live off this thing and just pursue a career like marine safety?”

Although Diaz thought he was underestimating the difficulty of surfboard paddle-out, his training has paid off. He was the first to finish the trial training.

“I thought it was a great opportunity. I have dedicated myself to this job, ”he said.

The next step for those who made it on Friday is a safety test and CPR training on Monday in Hanauma Bay.

The 25 new hires are contract employees who have to work at least three days a week, but are likely to take on more shifts. Some will also fill vacancies, though Titchen said Ocean Safety employees typically don’t quit their jobs, save for a few instances where workers move to the fire department, return to the mainland, or retire.

Ocean Safety is also hiring a few more full-time positions in the next fiscal year and will seek funding from the Honolulu City Council and City Council during the budgeting process.

Like many city first responders, lifeguards have been in short supply recently due to COVID-19 infection or exposure. So far, the highest number of employees absent due to COVID-19 is 21 out of around 250.

“It means that we sometimes had to close a (rescue) tower,” said Titchen.

Even without the staff limiting COVID-19, Ocean Safety sometimes had to close towers to allow mobile units to operate. However, COVID-19 staffing issues have compounded the problem.

“When we close a tower, we are very careful when we issue the warning via hnl.info,” he said.

“Then we say the closest beach that has a tower. And of course you call 911 if you need help and there is cellular coverage to respond. “

Ideally, Titchen would want around 300 posts to have enough lifeguards to fully man the vital towers and over enough mobile units to cover the rest of Oahu’s beaches.

An amendment to the City Charter proposed by Councilor Heidi Tsuneyoshi would make Ocean Safety a separate department. It is currently housed in the emergency services department, which also houses ambulances from the emergency services.

Titchen said that when Ocean Safety became a separate department, there would be a supervisory board, much like the police and fire services.

“I think it makes for better accountability and transparency,” he said.

He also pointed out that EMS and Ocean Safety have very different roles.

In order to get on the ballot, an amendment to the statutes must be approved by a majority of at least six out of nine council members. From there, the change must win at least 50% of the votes cast by Oahu to pass.

The decision to put the question to the vote last was read out in full in the Council in October. EMS also provided testimony in support of the measure.