Hours worked on shift

[Nathan]

I'm just curious about how everyone feels about the normal hours you work per shift. My dept does 2x10 hour days followed by 2x14 hour nights followed by 4 days off (4 shifts)and couldn't imagine doing 24 hr shifts.

Do you enjoy/dislike your shifts? Pros, cons etc.

[Daron]

I think it is called a Kelly shift. I work 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 96 off, and then it starts over. We have 3 shifts that do this (a, b, and c shifts) which covers us 7/24. Then we have part-timers that come in as needed to cover for vacations, time off, sick time, or what ever. Most of them have full-time jobs somewhere else.

[4iron]

I work 24 hour shifts:7am-7am,W-O-O-W-O-O-W,356 days/year,but for vacations.That is a 56 hour(average)work week,3 platoons.There's NO WAY I could work 10/14's!It would seem like I was always at work.I'm from a medium size department,6 stations,100 firefighters. Because we're IAFF,voting and then bargaining for a reduced work week is a pipe dream.Our city would rather us work 72/week,2 shifts,rather than reducing our work week.When we need a specific day off of our scedule,we trade.Our 24on/48off,allows us to trade quite easily(called a flip flop)=W-O-W-O-O-O-W.Or an 'outright'trade=W-O-O-O-O-O-W,then we pay the guy back a day.Our union has talked about changing to,W-O-W-O-W-O-O-O-O,but the older guys are set in their ways,they claim it eliminates most trading,since it could put a guy in triple-header.The biggest down side of our schedule,in my mind,is we don't have a true weekend off unless you trade!All and all,I like what we have,it sure beats sitting behind a desk 5 days/week!!!!!!!

[Lone Hunter]

3 Days 2 off,3 nights 4 off.Days are 10 hour,nights are 14,....But we work it out with our reliefs so its more like 9 and 15 hours.4 groups cover 24/7 365.Now I get 4 tricks off vaction and 3 off cycle time which is time used to bring us down to a 40 hour work week.4 groups 168 hours in a week =42 hour average work week Ny law says we can only work 40 so thats why the cycle time. We had a vote on 24 on 3 off but only 10% voted for it (I was one).

[This message has been edited by Lone Hunter (edited 03-07-2001).]

[Captain Gonzo]

My Department works the 10's and 14's with 4 days off. I just got held over for two OT tours (the nights of the 10's) for 28 hours of OT due to the Nor'easer that belted the New England region. The wife wasn't happy, but on payday she'll be ecstatic!

Some departments here work 24's with four groups, there are many other variations. As long as you love the job, the schedule should not be a problem.



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Firefighters: rising under adverse conditions to accept the challenge!
Captain Gonzo

[Catch]

Most places around here (SW Missouri) run 24 on/48 off. Now as soon as I say this I'll be wrong, but I believe this is what they call a "Kelly Shift." As for my full time job (EMS), we work a fairly random schedule of two 24's per week. Now, the catch is, we only get paid for 20 of it, unless we "buy the night." Which consists of working more than 3 hours between 2200 and 0600.