Lifeguard shortage in the state has experts urging families to keep their children safe

The Parks and Recreation director for the city said last month that municipal pools would have to be put on a rotation schedule due to a shortage of lifeguard workers.

Heath Seawright is the head lifeguard at Briarwood. He says they've felt the impacts of the lifeguard shortage, and the record-breaking heat they've been experiencing is compounding the issue.

"A lot of people come to the pool so it can get really busy and honestly, the more people you have, the more risk you run." he says. "So in a place like Jackson as hot as it is, you get more and more people and you would need more and more lifeguards, but we just simply don't have that."

The CDC reports that drowning is the leading cause of death for all children ages 1 through 4, and black children ages 5 to 9 are over twice as likely to drown in a swimming pool. The lifeguard shortage could add to this issue according to Wyatt Werneth, the official spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association. He says even if a lifeguard is present, family members need to watch out for each other in swimming areas.

"Safety around water kind of starts at the home level... everyone should know how to swim." he says. "The next thing is that the family members should all look after one another...if there's someone in your group, adult or child that doesn't know how to swim, make sure they're wearing a coast guard approved life jacket."

According to Werneth, the risk of drowning with a lifeguard present is one in 18 million.