Enhanced beach safeguards, water safety & lifeguard trainings
26 miles of lakefront welcome millions of visitors to enjoy beaches & 80+ lakefront concessioners
The Chicago Park District is excited to announce the City’s 22 beaches will open this Friday, May 26th for the 2023 season. The 2023 beach season runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2023. Early in 2023, the Park District launched several initiatives to pave the way for a safe and enjoyable summer at Park District beaches and pools.
“The safety of Chicago residents, visitors and our park staff is our number one priority. I am confident that the many beach safeguards and lifeguard training initiatives we’ve put in place will ensure all beach-goers can enjoy great experiences this summer,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño. “We’re excited to welcome back Chicagoans and tourists to Chicago’s 26 miles of pristine coastline, a backdrop to summer fun in Chicago and home to 22 gorgeous lakefront beaches”
The Park District’s “Your Perfect Summer Job” campaign efforts, which kicked off in early spring, have been successful in inspiring more than1,500 candidates to step-up and apply to be lifeguards this summer. In conjunction with the launch of the recruitment campaign, the Park District announced the elimination of the $85 cost of the required specialty certification for potential lifeguards, and paid three-day safety operations trainings for new lifeguards.
Recently, the Park District announced a series of incentives for interested lifeguard candidates to encourage them to complete the onboarding process. These incentives include a one-time $600 retention bonus, a relaxed residency requirement, opportunities for year-round employment, and chances to win tickets to Chicago Fire FC soccer home games, Six Flags Great America, a one-day pass to Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival, and an annual Divvy bike/scooter membership.
Opening the beaches is the first phase of the beaches and pools season. Many of the applicants are students that are just now fulfilling the required free skills-test and certification to complete the hiring process. These applicants are encouraged to sign-up to take the next swim test on June 3, and be onboarded in time to open pools this summer. For more information about the requirement to be a lifeguard, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/lifeguards. As the summer beach season takes-off, the Park District will continue its swim testing and recruitment efforts with the goal of hiring lifeguards to support the opening all of its pools on June 23rd.
“The Park District works very closely with our city partners and first responders to ensure the safety of all beach-goers, and encourages visitors to heed the advisories at all beaches, and only enter the water in designated swimming areas when lifeguards are present daily, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” Escareño added.
NEW BEACH SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS
Beach Lifeguard Safety Initiatives
Beach Safety Ambassadors: The Park District will also introduce a new Beach Safety Ambassador role to the Aquatics lakefront team to assist in managing and ensuring the safety and supervision of patrons at the Park District’s busiest beaches. The duties of this new role include, but are not limited to, enforcing beach rules and regulations, performing maintenance duties, assisting in emergency situations on the beach, and administering first aid, and CPR, as necessary. A total of 30 ambassadors will be posted at Chicago’s five busiest beaches- Osterman Beach, North Avenue Beach, Oak Street Beach, Montrose Beach, and Margaret T. Burroughs Beach (31st Street) Beach. These new employees are American Red Cross certified, and receive training in first aid, CPR and AED, waterfront skills, bloodborne pathogens, asthma inhaler, epinephrine auto injector, and in administering emergency oxygen.
Junior Lifeguard Program: Building the Park District’s pipeline of future lifeguards is critical to strengthening the lifeguard program. The thriving Junior Lifeguard program is one of the recruitment avenues that allows the Park District to introduce participants to the profession and prepare them to apply to be guards next summer.
Enhanced Lifeguard Support and Supervision: The Park District is supporting lifeguard safety through enhanced supervision at all beaches. An ongoing rotation of Community Recreation and Aquatics supervisors will conduct ongoing checks at all 22 lifeguard beach stations. This initiative, implemented last year, was successful at providing added support and supervision to lifeguards.
Lakefront Safety Unit: The Park District safety team unit will provide additional resources to support our busiest beaches. They will monitor beaches, concession areas and are trained to de-escalate situations and work with public safety agencies as needed.
Water Safety
As part of the Park District’s ongoing water safety campaign to help families stay safe while enjoying the lakefront this summer, the Park District kicked off this year’s Water Safety Trainings on May 23rd at Chicago beaches. An additional three trainings at three different beaches will be offered every Wednesday through June 21st at 5:30 pm. For the complete water safety trainings schedule, please click here.
Equipment & Resource Improvements
The Park District is one of the only aquatics corps to still use boats as an additional resource in our efforts to keep Chicago’s beach visitors and swimmers safe. This year, the Park District has added 15 new boats to its 100 strong fleet.
Newly installed and refreshed, “Swim Only When Lifeguards are on Duty” and “No Diving” as well as “No Swimming” signage will be visible along the lakefront this summer. Red, yellow and green flags are ready to fly on poles at all swimming beaches to display each beach’s current swim status. In addition, the Park District has installed life preserver equipment, some in areas where swimming is not allowed, to further safeguard beach visitors.
Summer Lifeguard Trainings
In addition to being American Red Cross certified, all Chicago lifeguards have completed an extensive swim skills-test that includes a 200-yard swim test, a 20-yard underwater swim, retrieval of a 10-pound object from a depth of 10-14 feet, and retrieval of a submerged manikin in deep water, and tow for 25 yards.
This year, the Park District’s Office of Prevention and Accountability (OPA), created in 2022 to address concerns regarding the safety of lifeguards and ensure the well-being of all Park District employees and patrons, will train all incoming lifeguards across the city. The training sessions will educate the lifeguards and their supervisors regarding expectations for conduct, how to prevent harassment/bullying, and how to report any concerns that may arise.
FLAG NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
The Park District will continue to utilize the flag notification system and interactive web page to display swim status, water quality, weather data, location information, amenities, directions and historical details about each of the 22 lakefront beach locations.
The following flag notification system tells patrons the current status of beaches:
• Green – Swimming is permitted. Weather conditions are fair and water quality is good.
• Yellow – Swimming is permitted, but caution is advised. Weather conditions are unpredictable or bacteria levels are higher than the water quality criteria set by EPA for notifying the public.
• Red – Swimming is not permitted. Weather conditions are dangerous or water quality conditions are dangerous.
Lifeguards will prominently post a red flag at the end of the night to remind patrons that swimming is no longer permitted. That flag will remain in place throughout the night until the start of the next lifeguard shift at 11 a.m.
WATER QUALITY
Recently, the Park District renewed its partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health to use the USEPA’s rapid test method at all beaches. This method uses DNA detection of Enterococci instead of culturing live E. coli bacteria cells, and cuts the time required for test results from 18 to 24 hours to only 3 to 4 hours.
During the beach season, this process ensures quality conditions for residents and visitors who frequent the beaches and lakefront. Keeping beaches clean also helps to prevent water quality swim advisories. The Park District cleans beaches on a daily basis, starting before dawn. There are tractors pulling beach raking machines that clean the beaches every day with support from crews of laborers that hand-pick litter and empty trash cans in the summer. Patrons can help the Park District maintain our beaches free of waste by placing all garbage and recycling in their appropriate containers. Learn more about beach clean-up here.
Beaches will be sampled seven days a week and information will be reported to the public via Park District website and a color-coded flag system at the beaches.
It should be noted that maintenance needs to beaches and recreational activities change based on cyclical lake levels. Juneway, Rogers, Howard and Fargo Beaches will remain inaccessible for swimming this season due to erosion. Swimmers may access the water at nearby Marion Mahony Griffin Beach.
CONCESSIONS & FACILITIES
More than 80 lakefront concessioners will also return this year beginning Memorial Day weekend. The Park District is pleased to welcome back lakefront concessions for the 2023 season featuring a variety of both indoor and outdoor dining experiences, water recreational activities, and retail options. For a complete list of Park District approved concessioners, click here.
In addition to beaches, other summer park facilities and opportunities are available. The 18- mile Lakefront Trail remains open for pedestrian and recreational use. The Chicago Park District recently switched on the Buckingham Fountain, which will remain on through mid-October, and looks forward to summer programming, including junior lifeguards and day camp. Registration is underway. Visit chicagoparkdistrict.com to view and register for summer programs, which kicks off the week of June 26.
GENERAL BEACH GUIDELINES
Patrons are asked to observe the following beach rules:
• Obey lifeguards and swim only when lifeguards are present.
• No glass, alcohol or smoking on the beach.
• Permits are required for gatherings of 50 or more people, use of amplified sound, and concessions/vendors. More information about permits is available at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/permits-rentals.
• Properly dispose of food, diapers and other refuse. Do not feed birds.
• Dogs are only allowed in designated dog areas.
• Please put swim diapers on small children.
• Grilling is only allowed in designated areas and coals should be disposed in the red-hot metal containers. For more information, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/grilling.
• Keep accessible beach walks clear. No bicycling, skateboarding or rollerblading is permitted in these areas.
• Access to the Lake Michigan Water Trail for sports such as kayaking, canoeing and other non-motorized board or paddle sports is allowed at 12th Street Beach. For more information, go to the rules page and download information on Lake Michigan water trails.
• Kiteboarding is not permitted at 12th Street Beach; kiteboarding is ONLY permitted at Montrose Beach.
• Only Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) are permitted. Children wearing PFDs should have an adult with them in the water.
• Swimming is permitted and lifeguards are on duty at all beaches from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., unless otherwise posted.
Beach goers can also access information on swim status by calling the Chicago Park District Beach Hotline at 312-74-BEACH, checking www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/beaches or following us on Facebook and Twitter for the swim status at each beach.
Admission to Chicago’s beaches is free. For a list of locations or for more information, visit the Park District website at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/beaches.