Dewey Beach considering raising lifeguard pay to stay competitive with other beach towns
DEWEY BEACH, Del. – Summer may be in the rearview mirror, but it’s at the top of mind for officials in Dewey Beach who are now considering increasing the starting pay for their lifeguards.
As it stands right now, rookie lifeguards just starting out in Dewey Beach make $17 an hour. That’s lower than what other lifeguards make in nearby beach towns, which is something Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper feels should change ahead of next year’s busy summer season.
“We do need to go up to possibly $19 an hour to stay competitive with Ocean City, Bethany Beach, State Parks, and Rehoboth which average anywhere between $20 to $22 an hour,” Zolper said. “We get a lot of families and young adults here. We don’t get many day-trippers as they do maybe in Rehoboth and Ocean City, so we do have a great team here in Dewey Beach, and the Captain that’s been here over 28 years leading our beach patrol.”
The potential increase in starting pay was proposed to commissioners by Dewey Beach Patrol Captain Todd Fritchman, which Zolper supports and feels would help with recruitment and retention of the town’s lifeguards.
“Dewey Beach is a great place to work as a lifeguard,” Zolper emphasized. “But, because of the lower wage that we pay right now, we are starting to feel the repercussions of that, so we do need to come up at least two dollars more a year, an hour for our lifeguards.”
Moving forward, Dewey Beach Patrol and other town agencies will be tasked with presenting their budget proposals next year to the commissioners. If approved, that raise could be implemented before the start of the 2025 summer season.
Dewey Beach Patrol is currently accepting applications for the 2025 season. Try out dates will take place March 23, March 30, and April 6. Testing includes a 1 mile beach run, 200m sand sprint, 500m swim, rescue simulations (buoy charges), and strength testing (push-ups and cross-chest). Try outs will be held at the Dewey Beach Lifesaving Station at 1 Dagsworthy Ave, Dewey Beach, DE 19971.
