Amid Lifeguard Shortage, Anchorage Mom Saved 2 Girls From Nearly Drowning in City Lake

Hanna Eklund was sunning herself at Goose Lake Saturday afternoon when she spotted a young girl in distress in the water.

It was a rare day over 70 degrees and the beach was crowded.

“Kids are playing in the water and throwing a ball,” said Eklund, who lives in West Anchorage. “People are playing music on the beach. Teenagers making their TikToks.

About the middle of the lake, Eklund said, she saw a girl who appeared to be about 10 years old struggling in the water, her hair stuck to her face and her arms flailing. She could faintly hear the girl screaming. She thought it was as if the girl was drowning.

There was no one to help: For the first time in recent memory, Goose Lake has no lifeguard on duty this summer.

Eklund, who is originally from Finland and spent his summers swimming in lakes, got up and waded into the water.

By the time she reached the girl, Eklund was swimming and not walking. She could see the girl was scared.

“She looked at me clearly and said, ‘Don’t let go, don’t let go,’” she said.

That's when she realized the girl wasn't alone: ​​A teenage girl nearby was also struggling in the lake water. They both panicked and started reaching for Eklund, pulling her down.

Eventually, Eklund, who describes herself as a good but not expert swimmer, was able to carry the girls to where they could stand.

A few days later, Eklund, who has lived in Anchorage for more than 15 years, he still thinks about this disaster.

“It all happened so quickly,” she said.

This year, there are no lifeguards at Jewel Lake or Goose Lake, the city's two developed swimming beaches, said Mike Braniff, Anchorage parks and recreation director. Although the lakes have had limited lifeguard hours in some recent summers, this is the first year in recent memory that they have had no lifeguards at all, he said.

Parks and recreation staff have removed buoys from shallow areas and lifeguard stations to visually indicate that beaches are not patrolled by a lifeguard, he said. Warning signs indicating that no lifeguards are on duty have been installed.

The reason? A persistent shortage of lifeguards.

“We are on a long downward trajectory in our ability to hire lifeguards and retain them,” Braniff said.

Anchorage is not alone: ​​A nationwide shortage of lifeguards has brought lakes and pools from Vermont to the sweltering heat of Las Vegas, reducing services and warning the public to swim at their own risk.

According to the American Lifeguard Association, about a third of America's 309,000 swimming pools will reduce their hours or close their pools in 2024 due to a shortage of lifeguards.

This summer, with only 11 lifeguards, the municipality opted to staff indoor pool programs rather than lakes, Braniff said.

“We finally got to the point where we had to make a tough decision: Are we going to staff the lakes or are we going to prioritize the (pool) programs? » said Braniff.

Summer pool offerings, including lap swim, free swim and family swim programs, are popular and well-attended, he said.

Braniff said he hadn't heard about the near-drowning reported in Goose Lake other than through media inquiries. He said he hasn't heard of any drownings in Anchorage lakes this summer.

The lifeguard deficit isn't really a budget issue, Braniff said: Lifeguard jobs in the municipality start at about $15.50 an hour and are open to people 16 and older.

Braniff said it has become much more difficult to hire young people. Fewer teens appear to be working during the summer and more are focusing on the demands of sports and activities, he said. Lifeguard is the only city parks and recreation job available to people under 18, but requires applicants to be certified lifeguards. The city will reimburse the $200 cost of the course if a lifeguard stays on the job more than 30 days, but will not compensate for the time it takes to earn the title, he said.

Braniff said he would like to be able to pay more, but raising wages is a process and part of union negotiations that take place every few years.

“It’s absolutely not a question of budget,” he said. “It's not that we lack funding, it's just the ability to be able to say, 'We need to pay $20 an hour if we want to be able to fill positions,'” and quickly implement that, he said. he declared.

It's true that the municipality should not renegotiate its contract with municipal workers, including lifeguards, until 2025, said Paul Hatcher, president of the AMEA Local 16 union. Hatcher thinks the municipality should also look beyond salaries when she tries to attract young rescuers. His own son worked as a lifeguard, and it's a job that takes time and skill, he said.

Once everyone was back on dry land after last Saturday's accident, Eklund sat down with the two girls. His family shared watermelon and soda with them. The older girl, 14, was in town on a group trip from Eagle River, Eklund said. The 14-year-old had I noticed that the girl – a stranger – was going underwater and had waded to reach it before going too deep herself. Both girls were scared and took a while to recover, Eklund said.

The city has no plans to close the lakes to recreation, Braniff said. There are also no plans to add lifeguards to Anchorage Lakes this summer, he said.

Eklund said she will return to the lake with her family next time on a warm sunny day. But she will see things differently, she says.

One of the scariest aspects, Eklund said, was how busy the beach was and how no one seemed to notice what was happening in the water.

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