The President of the Orla Periférica – Inland Lifeguard Association, Filipe Batista, overseeing the districts of Castelo Branco, Guarda, and Portalegre, has reported an assessment of bathing areas, highlighting that the number of trained professionals is insufficient to meet the demand.
“The demand is much higher than the number of lifeguards we have,” noted Filipe Batista, who is also a trainer.
Filipe Batista expressed concern that entities “only remember lifeguards when summer arrives when these issues come to the forefront.”
He emphasized a lack of planning to address this recurring problem once and for all.
Based in Penamacor, in the district of Castelo Branco, Batista proposed sharing human resources among entities like intermunicipal communities to address lifeguard shortages and reduce service costs, as salary negotiations are often necessary due to recruitment challenges.
“Instead of each community acting individually, if a group hired enough lifeguards to cover shifts in two or three municipalities, we could substantially reduce costs. In this way, everyone would benefit,” Batista suggested.
He also recommended including staff from indoor pools in the workforce pool, providing a significant number of professionals to address seasonal challenges during the summer.
According to Batista, the scarcity of trainers leads to full courses, each offering up to 30 slots, mostly to students from outside the region who often prefer staying close to home. The comprehensive 150-hour certification is valid for three years and can be renewed.
He stated that lifeguard shortages in local pools, rivers, and reservoirs allow professionals to negotiate wages, with salaries averaging 1,500 euros monthly, though some earn more.
Regularly, the association receives requests from local municipalities seeking trained personnel, but meeting these demands remains challenging.
Filipe Batista, also the technical director at the training school of the University of Beira Interior in Covilhã, noted the existence of a private training entity in Guarda.
Before summer, three new training courses will conclude, predominantly attended by students. Batista advocates for an incentive system, planned for the past decade but yet to be implemented, such as tuition exemptions.
He pointed out that some students only agree to work without employment contracts or service provision out of concern that seasonal income could affect their scholarships.
The Orla Periférica’s survey determined the need for approximately 400 lifeguards across the districts of Castelo Branco, Guarda, and Portalegre.
Faced with hiring difficulties, some choose not to open their locations, while others risk operating without lifeguards. Many bathing areas on river beaches remain unofficial to avoid the obligation of hiring lifeguards.
Batista reported that of the 38 drownings on inland beaches in 2024, almost all occurred in unsupervised areas.
