BIDDEFORD — It’s hard to imagine the summer without swimming, but that may be case for some as Biddeford seeks applications for lifeguards, one of the city’s most vital seasonal positions, for Rotary Park and its oceanfront beaches.

The city is experiencing a shortage of lifeguards moving into summer, a harsh reality also faced by other neighboring communities, according to Carl Walsh, recreation and teen director for Biddeford Recreation.

“Certainly, it’s not just us,” Walsh said. “We’ve been working with Saco and Kennebunk around the issue too … to try to come up with solutions.”

The city of Biddeford hires people who are already certified as lifeguards. That can be a challenge, Walsh said, when people either aren’t certified or haven’t been properly trained to deal with natural bodies of water and instead gain much of their certification training by working in pools.

“I think we’re looking for long-term solutions,” Walsh said. “One of the things we’ve been looking into, too, is looking at a junior lifeguard program so that we can actually try to bring some young people up through the system so eventually, once they’re of age, actually become lifeguards on site.”

Walsh has been working with the Michael Phelps Skill Center in Saco, a swimming instruction facility, to put together such a program for the fall and winter, “so we have some sort of feeder system to work with” come next summer.

Walsh said the demands of the job are high, as is the necessity for lifeguards for the many beaches from Kennebunk to Saco, and among private entities such as Saco’s Funtown Splashtown USA and Aquaboggan.

“There’s a lot of water around here that needs to be covered,” he said.

Walsh said it takes dedication to be a lifeguard, and that most of the city’s lifeguards are fully committed to their jobs.

“Most of the kids that we’ve had, they are dedicated to what they’re doing. It’s just a matter on part of how many kids are really looking at that as a possible way to earn some money,” Walsh said. “If you’re thinking about it long-term as a young person, once you get your lifeguard certificate, it’s something that you carry with you through high school, carry through college. It’s a great part-time job .

“I think part of it is supply and demand. Demand is greater than the supply is right now, and it’s been like that the past couple years.”

Walsh said part of the problem in finding certified lifeguards is that training courses are harder to find in the summer months, when cities are actively seeking applications.

Walsh has received a few applications from people who are not currently certified as lifeguards, and is hoping to get them the proper training. Biddeford Recreation will continue accepting applications, he said.

Biddeford Recreation is also hiring for camp staff, program assistants and workers to help with field lining. More information can be found at biddefordrec.com.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].