Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy today announced the conclusion of a successful season of the inaugural Lifeguard Certification Program, facilitated by Albany County Parks & Recreation. In the first year of innovative initiative, Albany County was able to certify a total of 65 individuals to become lifeguards just in time for local pools to open, helping to address a national shortage that began during the COVID pandemic. 

“The nationwide shortage of lifeguards is now entering its second summer, with the American Lifeguard Association estimating that over 50% of public pools across the U.S. will be impacted. That means reduced hours or outright closures, and potentially dangerous situations for those looking to cool off during the warmer months,” said County Executive McCoy. 

“Albany County’s program is helping to address this crisis by offering lifeguard certification at a fraction of the price, which typically costs upwards of $400. I’m proud to say that in less than three months, we were able to get 65 people certified at five separate locations, and I’m hopeful we will be able to grow these annual numbers even further next year,” he continued.

Albany County’s Lifeguard Certification Program kicked off on April 3 and the final session was June 8. The new initiative was made possible thanks to a partnership with local schools, colleges and the Town of Guilderland, which offered their pool and aquatics facilities to be utilized for the hands-on training at no cost to county taxpayers. Those locations include Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School, Albany High School, Siena College, The College of Saint Rose, and Voorheesville High School. 

"Siena College was very pleased to be part of this concerted effort to increase the number of qualified lifeguards in Albany County," said Siena President Charles F. "Chuck" Seifert, Ph.D. "We thank County Executive Dan McCoy and his team for developing the Lifeguard Certification Program, which will help keep area families safe as they enjoy their swimming recreation at local pools. Siena is committed to being an active partner in community support and education, and this is an excellent example of this type of association."

The four-day blended learning certification course requires 27 hours of both in person and online training and education. It was made available to any Albany County resident who is at least 15 years of age and has passed a pre-course swimming skills test that was conducted on the first day of each of the five separate program locations.