Ever think about why they're working so much overtime? Its not easy to find lifeguards qualified to fill those roles. Now imagine paying them less and figure out what would happen.
If you think this is outlandish pay, you've clearly never actually been a lifeguard. The media's portrayal of lifeguarding as a cushy role in which you spend the majority of your time sunbathing and flirting is completely off-base. Even in a fairly sedate pool setting, the constant focus demanded by this job is extremely draining, not to mention the mental and emotional strain of knowing that many lives depend upon your vigilance. I've not donned the red swimsuit and whistle since college but still have vivid memories of going into the pool after someone, hoping that I'd get there in time. Thankfully, I always did—but especially in a beach setting, lifeguards aren't always so lucky.
This does not seem out of line. Lifeguards are very hard to find. In my state most beaches are closed or sans lifeguard most of the summer due to lack of Lifeguards. Lifeguards have a unique skill that takes a specific type of physical capability and specific training. In California $60/hrs would be reasonable or maybe a little low for lifeguard pay. With the extreme shortage of Lifeguards that does exist, they probably can easily get 40 hours of per week. Not all Lifeguards are likely making the amounts reported but those willing to put in the time and have the unique skills and training a lifeguard requires, can take part in this opportunity.
Excellent inputs and your recommendations towards solving the problem at the root cause should be aggressively pursued. Id there a taxpeyer focus group who might take on the task? Greg Millard
Something I've found to be true almost every time, when someone has that much ridiculous OT pay, they're lying about it.
First thing that came to mind was that State Trooper in Louisiana (I think). People like you were doing records requests and his OT was so eye-watering, they decided to follow him for a week or two. Not only was he not actually working many of those hours, he was moonlighting on top of the hours he claimed.
I am a retired beach lifeguard captain for LA county. The writer of this article rightly questions these wages. What the author fails to touch on are the policies that create the scenarios where these individuals are racking up huge amounts of overtime. Many of these scenarios involved pulling lifeguards out of their beach assignments, to go work as part of logistical support teams on wildfires. While some of these assignments might involve using their medical training, most of these assignments are clerical or tech support in nature, skills that don’t require the specialization of a lifeguard to perform. Quite a few of these logistical/support assignments could be easily performed by office personnel who have completed the required courses making them eligible to fill those roles.
Another point that the author fails to mention, is that when Lifeguard or Fire personnel are deployed to these major incidents, someone has to backfill their regular assignments. This is done with overtime. Almost very time a lifeguard or firefighter is assigned to one of these major incidents, it creates double overtime. Towards the end of my career for two summers I worked between 150-160 hours of overtime each month , June, July, and August. All this overtime was in assignments on the beach, and a majority of it was me backfilling someone who had been taken out of their beach assignment and deployed to do logistical support on a major incident.
One thing the tax payers of LA county need to know, is that when a lifeguard or firefighter is deployed to one of these incidents, the county is able to recoup the cost of their wages from either the state or the feds. That includes the personnel that end up backfilling those deployed.
What this author and the taxpayers of LA county need to look into are the policies that take create all this overtime. The author and the taxpayers also need to look into other options like using not as highly paid office personnel, or even retirees to fill these logistical roles at major incidents.
I can say as a State-trained Ocean Lifeguard, who's worked at the ONLY private beach in the state, that Ocean Lifeguards have an enormous responsibility, and do highly skilled, hard, and important work. LA is a very expensive place to live, and Permanent Guards who do the job well, deserve to be well-compensated, and offered a career that receives comparable pay to Firefighters and Cops. And based upon what you've shown here, THEY DO. Almost every LA County Lifeguard I've ever met, permanent or season, it well-trained and highly competent. I know at least one of the Guards on that list. Minus his Overtime pay - his salary and benefits seem generous, but not unreasonable. And the secret of Overtime - is that you have to work long hours to earn it.
By law, you get time and half pay for those hours - sometimes more. So, unless we think that the Overtime hours are being doled out on some invidious and discriminatory or improperly politicized basis...I can't really object to people earning it, if they're doing a good job.
There may be some reasonable calculus involved, regarding whether you assign overtime hours, or you just hire more people, which adds more benefits, personnel and hiring costs. All told - aside from their apparent complicity in the Nuremberg Crimes surrounding 'Covid-19 policy' - I can't really complain about the LA County Lifeguards, or the service that they provide to the community. They work hard, and paying them well ensures that you have highly motivated, well trained emergency and rescue services, when you need them. And as a surfer and private/volunteer lifeguard, I exist and work closely with and alongside them, on a daily basis.
Pool guards, by contrast, earn much less, but also have much less specialized or challenging job. Not to denigrate them, but that's an Apples and Oranges comparison. That's a job usually done with much less training, by kids in highschool or college. It's largely uneventful, and requires much less physical fitness, or specialized knowledge and experience. Literally anyone who can swim, and perform CPR/First Aid, can do it. And the numbers on rescues per hour worked, show the differences.
A better group to investigate along these lines - are the notoriously and perennially corrupt, inept and incompetent LAPD. I know personally of a Senior Lead Officer (ACOSTA) who earns more the $300k a year, while actively refusing to assist the community with an identified public nuisance at a local park - and in fact, may even be conspiring with those who are creating the nuisance, that he won't act substantially to abate.
The best part is: Absolutely *all* this money was stolen from american citizens, who would eventually face death if they really resisted paying these taxes.
The average home price in Los Angeles is close to $1 million, or 8 years salary. Lifeguards provide much more value to society than, say, hedge fund managers or companies that buyout other companies then drive them int the ground.
Who’s overseeing the budget ? Why aren’t they aggressively recruiting so there is no/little overtime needed? The supervisor/director should be penalized if overtime is at this level. Would never fly in private industry.
Ever think about why they're working so much overtime? Its not easy to find lifeguards qualified to fill those roles. Now imagine paying them less and figure out what would happen.
If you think this is outlandish pay, you've clearly never actually been a lifeguard. The media's portrayal of lifeguarding as a cushy role in which you spend the majority of your time sunbathing and flirting is completely off-base. Even in a fairly sedate pool setting, the constant focus demanded by this job is extremely draining, not to mention the mental and emotional strain of knowing that many lives depend upon your vigilance. I've not donned the red swimsuit and whistle since college but still have vivid memories of going into the pool after someone, hoping that I'd get there in time. Thankfully, I always did—but especially in a beach setting, lifeguards aren't always so lucky.
This does not seem out of line. Lifeguards are very hard to find. In my state most beaches are closed or sans lifeguard most of the summer due to lack of Lifeguards. Lifeguards have a unique skill that takes a specific type of physical capability and specific training. In California $60/hrs would be reasonable or maybe a little low for lifeguard pay. With the extreme shortage of Lifeguards that does exist, they probably can easily get 40 hours of per week. Not all Lifeguards are likely making the amounts reported but those willing to put in the time and have the unique skills and training a lifeguard requires, can take part in this opportunity.
Is it a sign that, your state has it's head up it's prostate, to pay lifeguards more than the GOVERNOR OF ANY STATE?
Excellent inputs and your recommendations towards solving the problem at the root cause should be aggressively pursued. Id there a taxpeyer focus group who might take on the task? Greg Millard
Something I've found to be true almost every time, when someone has that much ridiculous OT pay, they're lying about it.
First thing that came to mind was that State Trooper in Louisiana (I think). People like you were doing records requests and his OT was so eye-watering, they decided to follow him for a week or two. Not only was he not actually working many of those hours, he was moonlighting on top of the hours he claimed.
I am a retired beach lifeguard captain for LA county. The writer of this article rightly questions these wages. What the author fails to touch on are the policies that create the scenarios where these individuals are racking up huge amounts of overtime. Many of these scenarios involved pulling lifeguards out of their beach assignments, to go work as part of logistical support teams on wildfires. While some of these assignments might involve using their medical training, most of these assignments are clerical or tech support in nature, skills that don’t require the specialization of a lifeguard to perform. Quite a few of these logistical/support assignments could be easily performed by office personnel who have completed the required courses making them eligible to fill those roles.
Another point that the author fails to mention, is that when Lifeguard or Fire personnel are deployed to these major incidents, someone has to backfill their regular assignments. This is done with overtime. Almost very time a lifeguard or firefighter is assigned to one of these major incidents, it creates double overtime. Towards the end of my career for two summers I worked between 150-160 hours of overtime each month , June, July, and August. All this overtime was in assignments on the beach, and a majority of it was me backfilling someone who had been taken out of their beach assignment and deployed to do logistical support on a major incident.
One thing the tax payers of LA county need to know, is that when a lifeguard or firefighter is deployed to one of these incidents, the county is able to recoup the cost of their wages from either the state or the feds. That includes the personnel that end up backfilling those deployed.
What this author and the taxpayers of LA county need to look into are the policies that take create all this overtime. The author and the taxpayers also need to look into other options like using not as highly paid office personnel, or even retirees to fill these logistical roles at major incidents.
I can say as a State-trained Ocean Lifeguard, who's worked at the ONLY private beach in the state, that Ocean Lifeguards have an enormous responsibility, and do highly skilled, hard, and important work. LA is a very expensive place to live, and Permanent Guards who do the job well, deserve to be well-compensated, and offered a career that receives comparable pay to Firefighters and Cops. And based upon what you've shown here, THEY DO. Almost every LA County Lifeguard I've ever met, permanent or season, it well-trained and highly competent. I know at least one of the Guards on that list. Minus his Overtime pay - his salary and benefits seem generous, but not unreasonable. And the secret of Overtime - is that you have to work long hours to earn it.
By law, you get time and half pay for those hours - sometimes more. So, unless we think that the Overtime hours are being doled out on some invidious and discriminatory or improperly politicized basis...I can't really object to people earning it, if they're doing a good job.
There may be some reasonable calculus involved, regarding whether you assign overtime hours, or you just hire more people, which adds more benefits, personnel and hiring costs. All told - aside from their apparent complicity in the Nuremberg Crimes surrounding 'Covid-19 policy' - I can't really complain about the LA County Lifeguards, or the service that they provide to the community. They work hard, and paying them well ensures that you have highly motivated, well trained emergency and rescue services, when you need them. And as a surfer and private/volunteer lifeguard, I exist and work closely with and alongside them, on a daily basis.
Pool guards, by contrast, earn much less, but also have much less specialized or challenging job. Not to denigrate them, but that's an Apples and Oranges comparison. That's a job usually done with much less training, by kids in highschool or college. It's largely uneventful, and requires much less physical fitness, or specialized knowledge and experience. Literally anyone who can swim, and perform CPR/First Aid, can do it. And the numbers on rescues per hour worked, show the differences.
A better group to investigate along these lines - are the notoriously and perennially corrupt, inept and incompetent LAPD. I know personally of a Senior Lead Officer (ACOSTA) who earns more the $300k a year, while actively refusing to assist the community with an identified public nuisance at a local park - and in fact, may even be conspiring with those who are creating the nuisance, that he won't act substantially to abate.
The best part is: Absolutely *all* this money was stolen from american citizens, who would eventually face death if they really resisted paying these taxes.
Democracy is a failure.
Somehow I feel better about this than someone earning millions for playing a game.
Wait until you see what the LA County & LA City Firefighters are making in OT! Yikes!
Compare those numbers to the private sector Paramedics who barely make more than the minimum wage.
The average home price in Los Angeles is close to $1 million, or 8 years salary. Lifeguards provide much more value to society than, say, hedge fund managers or companies that buyout other companies then drive them int the ground.
Who’s overseeing the budget ? Why aren’t they aggressively recruiting so there is no/little overtime needed? The supervisor/director should be penalized if overtime is at this level. Would never fly in private industry.
While not unexpected, the fact that no top earners are Latino clearly points out the modus operandi of American society.
Oh sure this is good use of public money. People are nuts that think this is ok. Many doctors that save lives every day don't make this kind of money.
Most if not all of that overtime was federal dollars, not LA County dollars for their response to large federal wildfires. Next