FIREFIGHTER WORK SCHEDULE SERIES

They do work three nights in a row, which would result in chronic sleep deficit if alarms are received on each night, however, the third night is always a Sunday night, which is often less busy than other nights of the week.

They will usually work about 10 shifts per month, but the exact rotation.

FIREFIGHTER WORK SCHEDULE SERIES

Since the firefighters have a two day break before any nights worked, they do not start the series of nights with an employment-related sleep deficit. Typical firefighter shift schedules consist of 24-hour shifts on a rotating basis. The 2-2-3 schedule is also known as the Panama Schedule, however, when firefighters work it, the shifts rotate from day to night between every break. This schedule's long break aligns with the conventional weekend for exactly two weeks out of eight. If the schedule induces sleep deficit during the day shift, this performance would be worse. After two consecutive nights, performance effectiveness was reduced to 75%, vs. In the Canadian Firefighter study, consecutive nights were shown to be more deleterious to performance than a single, long shift. On the 2-2-4 schedule, firefighters work two 10 hour days, two 14 hour nights, and then have four days off. Schedules that only allow 12 hours, or less, between work shifts do not allow enough time to incorporate a healthy night of sleep, and therefore begin to accumulate sleep deficit even when the employee is working days. Each firefighter would, thus, work the same schedule as is currently worked. This enables the firefighter to get relieved from work in the afternoon, commute home, spend time with family, and get a good night's sleep before returning to work in the morning. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Employee Ethics and Utilization of the. Most such departments work a 10 hour day and a 14 hour night tour. 24/48/24/96 pattern WeekĪlthough the performance benefits of shorter shifts may not outweigh the performance costs of consecutive nights of work, some departments with four platoon groups work shorter shifts. Thus, the schedule is 24 on, 48 off, 24 on, 96 off, on a 4-day rotation. 24/72 pattern WeekĪnother variation of the 24-hour shift schedule is a 4-platoon system, averaging 42 hours/week. This schedule works 48 hours per week for three weeks and 24 hours the fourth week, averaging 42 hours per week. The most basic four-platoon schedule is a straight rotation of 24-hour work shifts between four work work groups or platoons.

Firefighter work schedule