PETERSBURG — The Upper Township Beach Patrol is experiencing difficulty hiring enough full-time lifeguards and has again filled out its roster with part-time workers.
Township Committee appointed new members of the UTBP on Monday. Members of the 45-member patrol guard Williams, Webster, Tecumseh and Putnam avenues seven days a week through Labor Day, as well as Morris Avenue, 1400 Commonwealth Ave. and Beesleys Point beaches on weekends.
Chief Bill Handley said it is the second year in a row that the patrol has had issues with personnel.
“We couldn’t find enough full-time guards,” he said, noting last year the UTBP never was able to hire enough.
He did say, however, that a lot of the part-time hiring was done with the expectation the patrol will need them in August.
Handley said student athletes are being called back to their college teams much earlier than in the past, causing many to leave their positions before the season is over.
Committeeman Jay Newman, who is chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company and oversees the township’s public safety department, said patrols are having a hard time up and down the coast.
He attributed it to a general labor shortage, as well as the demanding nature of the job.
“We are in a position that we pay more but it’s still a tough job and people don’t want the responsibility,” Newman said.
He said the patrol has enough members to guard all of the beaches.
“I think at this time we will be good with who we have,” he said. “All patrols have a problem at the end of August because of guards going back to college early.”
Handley said part of the problem is the minimum wage is so high that young people can scoop ice cream rather than watch over beachgoers, a much more demanding job.
“We’re in competition with the minimum wage of standard boardwalk work,” he said. “They can make as much money with less responsibility.”
Handley said the UTBP offers a “competitive starting salary,” noting only Avalon and Stone Harbor have a higher starting wage than the UTBP.
He said those who do join the patrol are “really ambitious to learn and train, and excited about the opportunities for competition and camaraderie. Those who do not are making a mistake.”
“It’s hard to convince people to make that commitment, learn a lot and have a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I tell them that these are the life lessons that make you a better person.”
Under Handley, the patrol has two captains — Joe O’Neil and Andrew Toviasen — and four lieutenants — Joe Larosa, Jim Dugan, Meredith Steele and Aaron Holibaugh.
A member of the South Jersey Lifeguard Chiefs Association, the UTBP runs a Junior Lifeguard Program and Mascot Program to teach ocean safety and get youth experience for future membership.
The Junior Lifeguard Program is for children ages 11 to 16 and teaches lifeguarding skills such as paddleboarding, swimming and kayaking. The program began July 9 and meets every Friday for five weeks.
The Mascots Program is for young children. All mascots must be 5 or older by the beginning of July to participate. The program meets every Friday for five weeks.
Handley hopes the programs lead to more guards in the future, saying the Mascot Program is “always filled to capacity” and there are at least 30 junior guards signed up.
“I think it’s a great feeder program so they know what it takes to make the beach patrol,” he said. “I think we have a good, bright future.”
Handley said swimming is a major aspect of the job and potential guards have to have the skills, but noted there are few opportunities to get into a pool and get official training.
“As a society, we should make an effort to have more pool opportunities for recreational swimmers to get confidence for open-water swimming,” he said.
Handley said the patrol already has conducted 22 rescues, most minor, including assisting a sailor whose catamaran had overturned. “I’m looking forward to keeping the beaches safe, that’s our No. 1 priority,” he said, noting there are a lot of new guards this season. “It’s going to be exciting to mold them into the beach patrol we want them to be.”
Beaches will be guarded 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
This year, the Seaview Avenue beach access is closed due to erosion.
The UTBP headquarters is located at Williams and Neptune avenues in Strathmere. Call (609) 263-1151 for more information.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
