France Faces Shortage of Lifeguards: Report from Toulon Firefighters’ Recruitment Drive

France is experiencing a shortage of lifeguards. While drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in everyday life among people under 25, the subject has become a public health issue. Report in Toulon, where the Var firefighters are recruiting their future lifeguards.

The hand touches the tiles, the stopwatch stops. Anna Pangerlova has just crossed the pool in apnea, continuing with the front crawl and the coaster pedal. The time should display less than two minutes. It is 6 a.m. this Saturday morning in a swimming pool in Toulon: the Var firefighters are recruiting their future lifeguards. After training 16 lifeguards this winter, they are proceeding with a second wave of selection. This summer, they will need arms to crawl on the shore and heal the sores on the beach. France is experiencing a shortage of lifeguards. It lacks at least 5,000 staff, according to their national professional union.

Swimming competition holds no secrets for Anna Pangerlova. It’s all his adolescence. At 20, a business student, she is looking fora summer job» et «a line on the CV“. Because to become a lifeguard, candidates must still validate the boat license, two levels of first aid and the national certificate of safety and water rescue (BNSSA). “The training is quite heavy. They will have to take a real victim out of the water and perform a combined test with mask, snorkel and flippersdetails firefighter lieutenant Raphaël Imbert from the edge of the pool. It is a recognized diploma and operational experience that will serve in their lives.” On her line, Lilian Cossart gets her fins tangled. His feet hurt during his lengths. “I did not perform. I am a