Cassandra Jobe - A lifetime of skills as a lifeguard

Cassandra Jobe has an appreciation for the skills she's learned as a lifeguard for Parks and Recreation.
Cassandra Jobe has an appreciation for the skills she's learned as a lifeguard for Parks and Recreation.

A lifeguard's job is more than just staying out in the sun and working on a tan.

That's according to Cassandra Jobe, who has been working at the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Department as a lifeguard for the last six years.

"We usually get here between 11 and 11:30 in the morning, and if we have a private party we could be here as late as 9:30 at night, so we put in some long days," she said. "When we get here we make sure everything is ready to go in our area and once the pool opens you have your head moving all the time making sure nothing bad happens in your area."

All lifeguards are trained in CPR and other life saving techniques.

"It's good to know because I can use those skills wherever I'm at," Jobe said. "If I'm out on the road and an accident happens in front of me I know I can help out. We have to test our CPR skills continually and we have to do different types of saves in the pool, from in the shallow areas down to the deep end. We have to show we can go down and get a brick at the bottom of the deep end on command because emergency situations come without warning."

Most of the lifeguards are between the ages of 15 and 17 so they have a lot of responsibility to shoulder while on this job.

"People just don't realize what all goes on while we're on the job," Jobe said. "I love it because I get to be outside and it has taught me skills that I can use anywhere."