Lifeguarding is such a strange job when you really think about it. Water parks, beaches, and community pools around the world put patrons' lives in the hands of bored, athletic teenagers who make $12 an hour if they're lucky. It's honestly a miracle that there aren't more drownings at pools, given how undertrained, underpaid, and overworked lifeguards are.
Sometimes, lifeguards have to deal with problems that have nothing to do with the safety of the swimmers in their vicinity. They're often treated like customer service representatives for the pools, even though dealing with swimmers' personal problems is not in their job descriptions. They're not supposed to make the kids at the pool feel special and favored. They're supposed to keep them alive. If that means yelling at them for running at the pool, then so be it. If there is any profession that is justified in being a little bit mean on the delivery, it's lifeguards.
Not everybody thinks that lifeguards should be strict. After all, these are teenagers we're talking about. A lot of them aren't comfortable with calling out every mistake a kid at the pool makes. They might be tired of telling the same kids to stop fighting in the water over and over again. But if they're any good at their jobs, they shouldn't cut corners on safety. That's a good way for a kid to get hurt.
The lifeguard in this story is doing a good job, but her coworkers do not respect her strict enforcement of the rules.