work along PI beaches through college
and until they move on to another job.
“It’s a nice preparation for their
careers,” says North. “We give a lot of
responsibility to 16- and 17-year-olds.
It’s amazing how well these kids step up.”
Beyond the Lifeguard Tower
While lifeguards are looking out
for visitors to Presque Isle, there’s an
organization looking out for them. The
Presque Isle Lifeguard Association
(PILA), the oldest nonprofit
organization that serves Presque Isle, has
supported lifeguards for more than 30
years with assistance with certification
and equipment, advocacy for current
and former lifeguards, and a scholarship
fund.
Jim Vieira, President of PILA, says
the association is currently working
to meet some of PI lifeguards’ current
needs such as equipment, including a
jet ski, and gym time for lifeguards to
improve their fitness levels prior to their
assessments. PILA is also supporting
lifeguard manager initiatives such as
the lifeguard tower project to fund new
structures designed to protect lifeguards
from harmful exposure to the sun.
PILA is also behind the lifeguard
managers’ project to transition
from American Red Cross lifeguard
certification to United States Lifeguard
Association (USLA) training, which is
specifically for open water.
Dahlstrand says the USLA training
transition, to be implemented at Presque
Isle in 2020, will be a more cost-effective
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and streamlined way for new lifeguards
to be certified and get the skills they
need to work at Presque Isle. Currently,
“new trainees are paying for certification
that we have to expand upon with
additional open-water skill training,”
Dahlstrand explains. “With USLA, we
can hire guards who are not yet open-
water certified, but at the end of our
two-week training they’ll have their
certifications.”
Additionally, PILA continues to offer
lifeguard scholarships each year, as it has
for more than a decade. Vieira says the
scholarships provide an incentive for
guards to fulfill their obligations to their
vital roles on PI and to participate in all
training and activities. He adds that the
scholarships, funded through donations,
membership efforts and sponsorships,
remind people that lifeguards aren’t “just
people who sit on a tower. There’s a life
outside this. PILA supports that in any
way we can.”
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The organization’s mission also
includes encouraging fellowship
among PI lifeguards, past and present.
Vieira says the group has a number of
generous members with great memories
of their time as lifeguards on Presque
Isle and want to pay it forward with
their donations—and their time.
PILA facilitates networking so former
lifeguards can help current guards
plan their future careers. For example,
a current lifeguard has been able to
shadow a PI lifeguarding alumnus who is
now an orthopedic surgeon.
Vieira adds that PILA is working
hard to build its membership and its
support for PI lifeguards: “There’s a huge
network of former lifeguards out there.
We just need to find them.”
Learn More
For more information on becoming a
PI lifeguard, call lifeguard headquarters
at 814.833.0526 and leave a message
on the answering machine. A lifeguard
manager will return your call.
For information on PILA, visit
PILA-erie.org. Membership is open
to current and former lifeguards, and
associate memberships are available to
anyone who supports the organization’s
mission and goals.
To learn more about Presque Isle
beaches, stop by the Tom Ridge
Environmental Center or the park’s
public safety building for a copy of a
beach map that provides information on
each beach along with vital safety rules
and regulations. n