Why do firefighters work 24 hours on / 24 hours off / ... instead of
having the day broken into multiple shorter shifts like most
professions do?

Hi Lexi!

I've always wondered about this myself, but it never really occurred
to me to ask why.

This seemed like as good a time as any, so I called the Dispatch at
the Toledo Fire Department Non-Emergeny Dispatch ( 419-936-3550 ) and
asked the dispatcher why it was that firefighters worked such a weird
schedule.  Dispatch was hopping when I placed my first call at half
past midnight, so he asked me to call back in an hour.

While I waited, I searched on [ "firefighter schedule" ], [ "24 hour
schedule" ] and [ "24 hour shift" ], and came up with some interesting
results:

-- not all fire departments work 24 hours on/24 hours off.  In fact,
most work 24 hours on/48 hours off.  Some work traditional 8 - 10 hour
shifts, but cycle through so that they work an equal number of day and
night shifts.

-- 24 hour shifts increases the number of personnel available at any
given time by 30% (or more!).  This has the effect of allowing each
station to maintain a full complement of personnel for every shift.

-- firefighters seem to prefer the 24 hour rotating schedule over
"10-14s"

Working 'round the clock
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19980921/HA_001.htm

Sisters EMT/firefighter loves her unusual job
http://www.nuggetnews.com/archives/20011107/front09.shtml

D/FW Airport starts 24-hour firefighter shifts
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2002/09/23/daily10.html

Scranton (PA) Fire Department
http://www.scrantonfire.com

In the meantime, things had calmed down at the Toledo Fire Department,
and I spoke with Lt. Starkloff.  He laughed when I asked the question
and said "It's traditional!"

He went on to say that he couldn't explain exactly why firefighters
*started* working 24 hour shifts, but said that they are favored by
firefighters and administrators for several reasons:

-- 24 hours on and 48 hours off is much less stressful than working 10
- 14 hour days for 5 or 6 days a week.  There is considerably more
time to just relax after a tough shift.  The job is intense, the
stress is huge, and it's nearly impossible to blow it all off in time
to get up and do it again the next morning.

-- 24 hour shifts allow firefighters to work a full 48 week in just 2
days.

-- 24 hour shifts help reduce overtime

-- 24 hour shifts increase scheduling flexibility

-- 24 hour shifts decrease administrative costs.  Instead of dealing
with the paperwork for three shift changes a day, there is only
administrative work for 1 shift change a day.

Lt. Starkloff said that he felt the biggest advantage to the schedule
was the time off.  (Wasn't he nice for taking time to talk?)

For more information about firefighters, what they do, and why they do
it, why not have a look at the Toledo Firefighter's Museum homepage? 
(OK, it's a little loud, but these guys are *firemen*, not geeks like
us, so go easy on them!  Besides, it's just nifty, and the actual
museum isn't far from where I live!)

The Toledo Firefighter's Museum
http://www.toledofiremuseum.com/

I hope this answers your question sufficiently!  If you need more
help, please let me know, and I'll be glad to look around some more
(and call the nice firefighters, if need be!)

--Missy  <-- likes firemen.  They're cool!

Since it is a long established tradition, it is easier to continue
than to change. Some fire fighters are unionized which means both
Union leadership and the community bureaucracy need to see some
benefit simultaneously. It seems to me that a few part time fire
fighters and rewarding best peformers with a varriation on flex time,
might be an improvement over any of the plans and would make it
practical to gradually evolve to something other than 24 on; 24 off or
what ever plan is presently forced on all employees.  Neil