Training scheduled for new lifeguards at Buffalo municipal swimming pools

A new round of training sessions for lifeguards in Buffalo’s municipal swimming pools will begin in January, Mayor Byron W. Brown announced.

The first two-day session is scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 13 in the Cazenovia Park Pool, 626 Abbott Road. More sessions will be held on the following two weekends and on three weekends in March.

Trainees must be at least 16 years old and should already be proficient swimmers. The program is free for Buffalo residents. For those living outside the city, cost is $250.

City youth who become certified as lifeguards will receive a stipend of $525 when they are hired to work at the city’s pools. Pay is $20 per hour. For more information and to register, visit buffalopal.com.

In making the announcement, Brown noted that last year “enough city youth completed the lifeguard requirements and were hired as lifeguards, enabling us to reopen three of the city’s outdoor pools and two indoor pools.”