BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo is working to recruit lifeguards for the upcoming summer season, and the Ryan administration has temporarily lifted the city's residency requirement in an effort to expand the pool of candidates. The job posting online shows applicants no longer need to live in the City of Buffalo to be considered.
Recruitment has been a persistent challenge in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The difficulty has led to entire summers with barely any public pools open, such as the summer of 2022 when the city failed to open nine available outdoor swimming pools, only providing two indoor pools for residents.
A 7 News special report found the city has also lost half of its public pools in the last decade due to lack of investment, further compounding the problem. With fewer pools available, and a lack of learn-to-swim programming, there are now not enough city residents who can swim well enough to pass the lifeguard swimming assessment — a cycle that has made staffing increasingly difficult.
WATCH: Buffalo removes residency requirement for lifeguards in recruitment push
Back in 2023, then Mayor Byron Brown attempted to incentivize applicants by boosting the pay from approximately $15.50 per hour to $20 per hour. That's attracted candidates who live outside of the city, according to Deputy Mayor Maria Whyte.
"As a result, we have decided to offer a three-month residency waiver, a courtesy that is commonly offered to other new City employees," Whyte said in a statement. "Expanding the applicant pool will help us recruit the staff needed to ensure we can open as many pools as possible and provide the hours and programming residents expect."
Whyte added lifeguard recruitment is ongoing, with additional onboarding sessions scheduled, with "more to announce in the coming weeks."
The city's pool system is in dire straits. Both indoor pools are currently closed. The Lovejoy pool has been closed for repairs since 2025. The Cazenovia Pool in South Buffalo has been closed for at least two weeks due to sub-standard water temperatures caused by a broken boiler.
Whyte said the boiler was more than 20 years old.
"A new boiler is going in this week, and we're hopeful the pool will reopen next week," Whyte said.
