Some of them exceed half a million dollars a year

Lifeguards on the beaches of Los Angeles are getting paid astronomical

  • Lifeguards work in 24-hour shifts.

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  • Rescue workers are always at risk.

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California beach lifeguards are paid very well, and last year 20 Los Angeles County lifeguards earned between $300,000 and $510,000 a year each.

Another 98 lifeguards earned at least $200,000, according to a Baywatch report, an organization that monitors government spending. In addition to a hefty salary and after 30 years of service, Los Angeles lifeguards can retire at 55, for 79%. of their salaries.

Daniel Douglas, the highest-paid lifeguard, in 2021, earned $510,283, a significant increase over the previous year.

As a lifeguard, he received $150,000 in salary, $114,000 in benefits, and $246,000 in overtime allowance.

Most of the highly paid lifeguards were men, and only two of the top 20 were women.

Ironically, the number of males who appeared in the popular TV series "Bay Watch" was twice as many as females.

Lifeguard Virginia Rob Captain ranked 16th in terms of wages, earning $307,664, and ocean rescue specialist Lauren Dale was the 19th highest paid, with more than $300,000 a year.

According to the Foundation for Economic Rationalization, the average annual salary for a lifeguard in the United States is about $30,000 a year, well below the average in Los Angeles County.

Overall, average salaries in this county are a bit higher than in most of the United States, but there is a big difference compared to the very high salary of these first responders.

According to SallyExpert, a salary data company, the average annual salary in the United States is $61,800, while the average in Los Angeles is about 70,000.

These staggering salaries don't appear to correlate with performance. "Many of the lifeguards, who have been awarded the Feiler Medal for their great bravery in saving lives, have not been paid the district's maximum salary," wrote Adam Andrzeski, CEO of Open Books, Adam Andrzeski. ».

Andrzejsky, who won the 2020 Feiler Prize, cites Edward Mako, an ocean ranger who took home $134,114 that year.

Mako jumped into a remote gorge in Palos Verdes, pulling a man to safety.

Other lifeguards who won awards for exemplary service earned similar salaries to Mako.

Yet their salaries are still well above the national average.

Andrzejsky noted some of the factors that influence a lifeguard's pay in Los Angeles County;

Including a powerful labor union, the lucrative contract between the county and the city of Santa Monica.

This causes "disproportionate discrepancies," he said.

"The Los Angeles County Lifeguards Association is the driving force behind all of this," Andrzeski explained.

Since 1995, the trade union has negotiated better wages, working hours, benefits and working conditions.

In 2009, the city of Santa Monica signed a 10-year, $25 million contract with the county to provide rescue services.

In 2019, the city renewed the contract for another five years, at a cost of $17 million.

Multiple tasks

The job of a lifeguard is not as easy as we see on TV and in American movies. In addition to their duties in the field of rescue, some also work as emergency paramedics, underwater intervention specialists, and marine firefighters.

Sometimes they have to work 24-hour shifts, and during the pandemic many have been trading their swimwear and sunscreen for face masks and other things.

However, the news that many Los Angeles County lifeguards earn 10 times the national average due to a private contract seems to have alarmed many of the state's taxpayers.

510000

dollars a year for some Los Angeles rescuers.

79% 

Of the salary the lifeguard receives after retiring at the age of 55.

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