Bradford beach will go without guards and only four pools are opening. By Graham Kilmer - Jun 9th, 2021 11:16 am //end headline wrapper ?>Bradford Beach, July 25th, 2009. Photo by Dave Reid.
There will be no lifeguards on Bradford Beach this summer, and only four public pools will be open due to a lifeguard shortage in the Milwaukee County Parks system.
The county parks system has struggled with declining numbers of lifeguard recruits in recent years. In fact, the shortage of lifeguards is a problem occurring all over the country. In May, the parks department reported it had only 52 guards for the entire parks system heading into the 2021 swim season. In 2019, the county had 135 guards.