If you're heading to a state beach this weekend or into the holiday week, look for big red flags showing which sections are protected by lifeguards. "Please swim between the red flags," said Robert Paquette, chief of the parks and recreation division of the state Department of Environmental Management.

If you're heading to a state beach this weekend or into the holiday week, look for big red flags showing which sections are protected by lifeguards.

"Please swim between the red flags,"said Robert Paquette, chief of the parks and recreation division of the state Department of Environmental Management.

Although Rhode Island typically uses such flags in spring and fall, especially as younger summer lifeguards have gone back to school, the red markers will probably be up all summer, Paquette said.

That's because the state beaches are contendingwith a lifeguard shortage that beaches around the country are experiencing, he said.

Rhode Island typically needs 150 lifeguards for its 14 state beaches. This year, it's 20 lifeguards short, said Katie Degnan, the DEM's lifeguard coordinator.

Paquette's division runs the testing for lifeguards at freshwater and saltwater beaches in Rhode Island state beaches and those run by municipalities or private operators. He said he's hearing that city, town and private beaches are also having trouble hiring lifeguards.

But Degnan said the shortage for state beaches is a bit puzzling because the number of lifeguards her division certified this year is higher than last year 919, compared with 887 in 2016.

In Middletown, where Second Beach and Third Beach attract throngs through the summer, beach manager Timothy Coen said he typically turns down 20 to 25 applicants. This year, he had no surplus. Typically, he hires about 40 lifeguards, 30 full-time and 10 part-time. He's short about five full-time lifeguards this year.

Coen isn't sure why. He said he had begun to think young people weren't so interested in the hard work of a lifeguard job but when told the state certified more people this year than last year, he said those numbers don't back up that notion.

Besides, Coen said, he hasn't heard people say they don't want to work hard, and he still finds dedicated lifeguards: "We just could use a few more."

Many states don't require lifeguards at state beaches and some, like Connecticut, are cutting back because of budget crunches, Paquette said.Rhode Island is one of the few that require lifeguards at its beaches, he said.

Despite trouble filling these jobs, Paquette said he doesn't think Rhode Island would stop hiring guards for its beaches.

"There's always a drowning, every year, and if there's a proposal to [do away with guards], that drowning always seems to jump to the forefront," Paquette said. "People get comfortable, and I think there would be an outcry if we tried to do some of our locations without lifeguards."

Paquettethinks it's getting more difficult to find lifeguards for a variety of reasons, including:

One other difficulty the state faces is competition from private beaches and towns that offer higher pay or incentives. For example, the Misquamicut Fire District offers a $300 signing bonus, Paquette said.

Lifeguards at state beaches are state employees, with pay of $12 to $13 an hour. But some private and town beaches pay $15 an hour or more, Paquette said.

Anyone interested in becoming a lifeguard may call the Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation: (401) 667-6200.

kbramson@providencejournal.com

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RI state beaches face a shortage of lifeguards - The Providence Journal