Sioux Falls fully staffed as pools prepare to open

Lifeguard shortages hitting other parts of the country

Terrace Park, one of five outdoor pools in Sioux Falls, is ready to open Friday. (Joe Sneve/The Dakota Scout)

The Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department is fully staffed with lifeguards, and that means all systems are go for outdoor pools to open Friday.

That’s not the case, however, in other parts of the country.

“’People don’t want to work’: Baltimore City faces lifeguard shortages,” reads the headline of a local television station. In Wheat Ridge, Colo. police posed for pictures seated in lifeguard chairs to highlight that city’s shortage.

Meanwhile, as Sioux Falls Parks and Rec officials spoke with reporters Wednesday, CBS News published a report with the headline: “Nationwide lifeguard shortage causing staffing issues at beaches and pool.”

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