Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes, to provide assistance and protection to participants.
157,550 people do this job in the US. $33,580 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 12%
- 0%
- 88%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 10%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol or monitor recreational areas, such as trails, slopes, or swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 37% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe activities in assigned areas, using binoculars, to detect hazards, disturbances, or safety infractions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 16% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Instruct participants in skiing, swimming, or other recreational activities and provide safety precaution information.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Provide assistance with staff selection, training, and supervision.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | 66%Half by now | |
| Inspect recreational equipment, such as rope tows, T-bars, J-bars, or chair lifts, for safety hazards and damage or wear.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect recreational facilities for cleanliness.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 42 min | Stays with people | |
| Complete and maintain records of weather and beach conditions, emergency medical treatments performed, and other relevant incident information.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Operate underwater recovery units.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain quality of pool water by testing chemical levels.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 1% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Participate in recreational demonstrations to entertain resort guests.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 0.9% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Firefighters3% now, 3% by 2028
- Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians3% now, 47% by 2028
- Emergency Medical Technicians7% now, 60% by 2028
- Recreation Workers14% now, 16% by 2028
- Security Guards13% now, 13% by 2028
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians30% now, 60% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).