Beckley lifeguards feel hung out to dry
Aug. 6—Lifeguards contracted for the summer to work at Beckley's two city-owned pools feel hung out to dry by the out-of-state company that hired them as well as the city of Beckley, which contractually has little to do with them.
"It kind of just feels like we're running ourselves," said 22-year-old Beckley native Nicholas Forinash, who was recently promoted to the role of aquatics director.
Like all lifeguards working at Beckley's two pools this year, the Sharon Dempsey pool (formerly the New River pool) and the Historic Black Knight pool, Forinash was hired by USA Pools/USA Management.
Forinash said his main complaint with USA Pools, based in Maryland, stems from poor communication which, among other things, has led to employees not being paid for the times they've worked.
He said he also believes it was the company's poor communication and lack of support that resulted in the closing of Black Knight's pool, which was announced by the city via Facebook on Tuesday.
Although both pools are city owned, the staff at both pools, with the exceptions of those running the admission booths and concessions stands, answers to USA Pools.
Forinash said this has made the lifeguards feel isolated and not part of the community which many of them live in.
"We are like our own unit. It's really weird," he said. "It's like a vehicle. (The city) is in the front seat and we're in the backseat. We come in, we just do our job, and we leave. It's like we're renting a house."
In April, the Beckley Common Council approved a $130,000 contract with USA Pools/USA Management to manage, staff and operate the city's two swimming facilities from May 28 to Sept. 5.
According to the contract, USA Pools of Delmarva is responsible for advertising, recruiting, pre-screening, interviewing, hiring, promoting programs and events, onboarding, certifications (if needed), training, supporting water safety, managing daily operations, providing staff, terminations, uniforms, supervision, scheduling and risk management.
This contract also states that all staff hired by USA Pools are to be directed solely by USA Pools.
City officials have stated they went this route after trying and failing for multiple years to hire enough lifeguards to open both pools.
The last time the Sharon Dempsey pool was fully operational was in 2016. From 2019 to 2021, one or both pools operated under abbreviated schedules.
According to the USA Pools contract, a minimum of six lifeguards are required for the New River pool while the Black Knight pool requires at least two.
Forinash said he thinks salary likely played a big part in Beckley's lack of hiring success. In 2021, Beckley increased its starting hourly rate for lifeguards from $10 to $12.
"They have to pay lifeguards more," he said. "For $10 an hour I can go work at Chick-fil-A ... not have to touch a drop of water, save people or get burned in the sun. I've had to kick out kids here for fighting. Bad kids coming in here trying to sell drugs. We don't get paid enough for that."
Forinash said USA Pools' starting hourly rate, for the Beckley pools, is $13.50.
When the summer started, Forinash said he was hired as a lead lifeguard at the Sharon Dempsey pool.
While he has six years of experience under his belt, that was not the case for the majority of the nine other lifeguards also hired to work at the Sharon Dempsey pool.
The Sharon Dempsey pool is by far the larger of Beckley's two pools, holding over 700,000 gallons of water and with a maximum capacity of 500 people, Forinash said.
He said most of the other lifeguards hired at his pool were in their teens and were either coming in brand new, having just been certified, or with a year under their belt.
"A lot of the lifeguards are young and inexperienced and when they're working somewhere like here, you've got to have good lifeguards," he said. "We've had a lot of rescues this year ... and if you're not ready and you get scared and you hesitate, kids will drown. It's for real here. (The Sharon Dempsey pool) is no joke."
With such a young, inexperienced staff, Forinash said he assumed those managing the pool would step in and help with training that lifeguards can only get while on the job, from how to manage the pool's chemicals to how to ensure the safety of a pool filled with hundreds of people.
However, this was not the case as USA Pools' involvement in pool activities seems to stop at the hiring process, Forinash said.
"Here we test for chlorine and pH but (USA Pools) doesn't tell the lifeguards what to do if something happens," Forinash said. "So I had to come in, where I know how to balance water and do all that, I've taught them ... They hired us all and basically said, figure it out."
To make matter worse, Forinash said the company hired an 18-year-old to serve as the aquatics director at the start of the season.
Just based on her age and experience as a lifeguard, Forinash said the teenager was not prepared for the task or managing two pools and over a dozen lifeguards.
He added the teen has since been moved to the position of scheduling manager but that has also not been without its challenges.
When The Register-Herald interviewed Forinash on Friday morning not long after the pool opened, he said he was unable to open the slide for the day because only four lifeguards had been scheduled and six are required to open the slide.
"It sucks because I want to open the slide for these kids," he said, pointing at the few kids in the pool who he says are regulars.
"That's the best part about this pool ... and it's a little disheartening that we have to close that because of a mistake from a manager."
He added that for the past two weekends, one of the pools had to be closed because the scheduling manager approved too many of the lifeguards to be on vacation all at once.
Even with the internal issues, Forinash said much of the main problem stems from USA Pools and their lack of support.
At one point, Forinash said there was a problem with the systems the lifeguards use to clock in and out, resulting in unpaid shifts for those working.
He said the lifeguards reached out to their company asking for this to be fixed but were met with less than helpful responses.
"It seemed liked the company wasn't wanting to pay us for the days we'd worked," Forinash said.
He said he also reached out earlier in the season requesting new umbrella stands for the lifeguard chairs as well as walkie-talkies so that the guards could communicate across the large pool as well as to whoever was stationed at the top of the slide.
Forinash said those requests fell on deaf ears.
Forinash said he's also had to use his own money to buy bandages for the pool's first aid kits because they were out. According to the contract, the city is responsible for supplying and maintaining the first aid kits at the pools.
Since the season started, Forinash said they have been through two account managers who work in the corporate office of USA Pools. He was told the first was fired, the second recently took leave and he hasn't been informed about a replacement.
The Register-Herald reached out to USA Pools twice this week, including on Friday afternoon, requesting comment for this story but did not hear back as of press time.
As a Beckley native, Forinash said he remembers when Sharon Dempsey ran the pool at New River Park. Dempsey managed the pool for roughly three decades and it was renamed in her honor this year after her passing.
"She ran a tight ship," said Forinash, adding that Dempsey was the one who got him certified to be a lifeguard.
He said not having that local support from a manager, who also answers to someone locally, has hurt both pools.
The topic of how to handle the city's contract with USA Pools has come up multiple times at Beckley Common Council meetings, after both pools failed to open on the contracted start date.
City Treasurer Billie Trump has previously stated that the city has already paid USA Pools the full amount owed in the contract. Trump said they will wait until the end of the season to approach the company about recouping some of those funds because they have not held up their end of the contract.
There has also been discussion about what the city will do next year. While they've had difficulties going it on their own, they've been met with the same difficulties since hiring a company to manage the pools for them.
If they do decide to part ways with USA Pools, the city may face an even tougher challenge hiring lifeguards.
According to the contract, once it expires or is terminated, the city, unless given permission by USA Pools, cannot hire any current or former USA Pools personnel — including lifeguards — for one year.
The city also can't hire another pool management company to hire current or former USA Pools personnel for one year.
When asked if he'd be back next year if USA Pools is still running things, Forinash laughed and shook his head.
"It would take a good incentive to bring me back," he said. "This place is too disorganized for me."
