Free lifeguard training will be offered to anyone wanting to be a lifeguard for the City of St. Joseph’s Aquatics Division this summer.

According to St. Joseph Parks Department Special Events and Communications Coordinator Julie Noel, there’s been a national decline in lifeguards the past few years and that the cost of training might be a factor.

“We thought that might be one possibility why we weren’t getting as many people trained to be lifeguards,” Noel said. “So we decided to take that barrier away and see if we couldn’t garner a little bit more interest and hopefully those who might not have gone ahead to be a lifeguard in the past because of the cost of the training, they would go ahead and try this year.”

The training course, which usually costs around $150 will be provided for free to all lifeguard candidates who join the city’s lifeguard team as an employee for the Parks and Recreation Department.

Anyone interested in being a lifeguard can contact the Aquatics Office at (816) 271-5519. Those interested must pass a pretest before registering for training. Courses will be offered beginning in February.