Grandma returns as lifeguard decades later as pools face worker shortage
Robin Borlandoe, who started working as a lifeguard as a teenager and is back in the role at the age of 70, describes what motivated her to return to the pool in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, PA. – For the first time since the late 1960s, Robin Borlandoe is back on lifeguard duty.
"What do they call you? Lifeguard Granny," Borlandoe responds about her new position.
The nationwide lifeguard shortage is what prompted the 70-year-old grandmother to make a comeback.
Says Borlandoe, "70 is the new — what? — 50, 30, 40."
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Hearing public pools in Philadelphia might not be able to open, she decided to step up.
"This was just a small part of what I could do," Borlandoe tells Fox News.
Lifeguard Robin Borlandoe, age 70, passed the lifeguard test on her second try. (Fox News )
In order to pass the required test, Borlandoe trained daily.
She passed the lifeguard test on her second try.
"We were scrambling to onboard staff," says Philadelphia Parks and Recreation spokesperson Maita Soukop.
The lifeguard chair is empty in this image — and the beach sparsely populated at Old Orchard Beach in Maine last September. (Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
In Philadelphia, 80% of public pools in Philadelphia are open.
Yet that is not the case in other states across the country, where the pools have not had the staffing to open their doors.
"What makes me glad to do this job is just [everyone's] energy … and the fact that they say, ‘Hi, Miss Robin.'"
The American Lifeguard Association says that this summer, one out of every three pools nationwide will not open or will reduce hours due to staffing shortages.
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Also, Philadelphia police have reported that violent crime in the city is up 7% compared to last year. The Philadelphia district attorney has tweeted that open swimming pools are violence-prevention tools.
Robin Borlandoe says that is one of the reasons she is diving in to make a change.
A lifeguard in Wildwood, N.J., is shown at work. Some park districts across the country are getting creative about hiring new lifeguards.
"The main reason is to help the community and with the way Philadelphia is … The young folks, what are they going to do?"
She mentioned the "murders and the kids that have attacked adults" as a concern.
She says she'll be back next summer.
"What makes me glad to do this job is just [the community's] energy and how enthusiastic [they are] and the fact that they say, ‘Hi, Miss Robin,’" says Borlandoe.
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To try and get more lifeguards to sign up for duty, some park districts across the country have had to be a little creative.
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In New York City, officials are offering nearly $20 an hour to be a lifeguard.
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