Why do firefighters work a 24 hour shift?
The bottom line – firefighters working a 24 hour shift saves the public money. It is the most efficient way to staff the fire department, which is why it is done nationwide. No schedule for firefighters is more predominant locally or nationwide. The Fair Standards Labor Act (FLSA) exempts firefighters from certain overtime rules. These exemptions allow firefighters to work their usual 24 hour shift at straight time wages. Other professions receive overtime any time an 8 hour work day is exceeded. Firefighters do not receive overtime wages during their normal 24 hour work period. 24 hour shifts provide the most personnel on duty with the fewest number of actual employees, saving personnel costs on health care and retirement. 24 hour shifts also enable the members to complete projects without a daily deadline. For instance if we had a shift change at 6pm all activities such as, training, physical fitness, inspections, emergency pre-planning and vehicle and building maintenance would have
The bottom line – firefighters working a 24 hour shift saves the public money. It is the most efficient way to staff the fire department, which is why it is done nationwide. No schedule for career firefighters is more predominant. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempts firefighters from certain overtime rules. These exemptions allow firefighters to work their usual 24 hour shift at straight time wages. Other professions receive overtime wages during their normal 24 hour work period. There are provisions in FLSA under which firefighters may receive an additional 1/2 time pay for up to 3 hours a week if NO annual leave, sick leave, Military leave or workers compensation time is taken. This has low occurrence rate and can be further explained upon request. 24 hour shifts provide the most personnel on duty with the fewest number of actual employees, saving personnel costs on health care and retirement. Example: The police department has 44 officers, with 36 assigned to patrol. These 3
The bottom line – firefighters working a 24 hour shift saves the public money. It is the most efficient way to staff the fire department, which is why it is done nationwide. No schedule for firefighters is more predominant. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempts firefighters from certain overtime rules. These exemptions allow firefighters to work their usual 24 hour shift at straight time wages. Other professions receive overtime any time an 8 hour work day is exceeded. Firefighters do not receive overtime wages during their normal 24 hour work period. There are provisions in FLSA under which firefighters may receive an additional ½ time pay for up to 3 hours a week if NO annual leave, sick leave, Military leave or workers compensation time is taken This has a low occurrence rate and can be further explained upon request. 24 hour shifts provide the most personnel on duty with the fewest number of actual employees, saving personnel costs on health care and retirement. Example: The
