Swan Aquatics Is Going to Kirtland Air Force Base
On November 2, Swan Aquatics lifeguards step onto the deck at the Kirtland Air Force Base Aquatic Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under a contract with the United States Air Force. It is our first federal contract, our first work in New Mexico, and the kind of job this company was built to do.
What the Air Force asked for
The Kirtland Aquatic Center is not a recreation pool. It is a military fitness and readiness facility used by the 377th Air Base Wing for aquatic physical training, lap swimming and water survival training. The Air Force needed a contractor who could put certified lifeguards and an on-site lifeguard coordinator on that deck for every training session, Monday through Friday, keep the pool logs the service requires, and do it to a written standard that is inspected. That is the work. We bid on it because it is the work we already do for cities and school districts, held to a federal standard.
Why this matters to us
For twelve years Swan Aquatics has run public pools for municipalities in California and staffed lifeguards and instructors across six states. Stepping into federal service is a different level of accountability: a performance work statement that spells out every requirement, government inspectors who check our rotation logs and water tests, and a customer whose mission is national defense. We are proud to have earned that trust, and frankly we are excited. This is where we want to grow — pools where the standard is high and the work is steady, year-round.
What does not change
The same things that make a city pool safe make a military pool safe: the right number of trained eyes on the water, a coordinator on deck who owns the standard, monthly in-service training, and a rotation that never leaves a guard scanning for too long. Our Kirtland team will train the way every Swan team trains, and they will be held to the same Swan Aquatics standards on top of the Air Force's.
We are hiring in Albuquerque
We are building the Kirtland team from the Albuquerque area, and we especially want to hear from military spouses and dependents, veterans, and local swimmers who want steady weekday hours on a base. Positions are hourly, include the federal Service Contract Act health and welfare benefit, and come with paid training before the first shift. Current lifeguard, CPR/AED and first aid certification is required; if you are not certified yet, Swan CPR can get you there. Apply at https://swanaquatics.com/aquatics-careers and choose Kirtland AFB.
To the Airmen and Guardians at Kirtland: we will see you at the pool.