Provo Fire & Rescue
48/96 Work Schedule
Special Report
Prepared by the work schedule committee
Larry Harris
Chad Frisby
Keith Rosser
Stan Andreasen
Roger Gourley
Derryk Allen
Jeremy Craft
Brian Tanner
Jason Finlinson
with additional help from
Kevin McCarthy
Dave Bailey
Brian Fish
Jeremy Moon
Lindsay Peterson
Kevin Peterson
If we left your name out sorry.....but we appreciated your help.
Table of Contents
Background and Information
Definition of the 48/96 Work Schedule
Advantages
Productivity
Retention and Recruitment
Commuting Time and Expenses
Holiday Rotation
Time Off
Trades
Less Fatigue
Time With Family
Training
Financial Savings For Department
Disadvantages
Time Away From Family
Fatigue
Holidays
Productivity
Communication
Implementation
Paycheck
FLSA
Maximum Hours Worked
Time Off/Scheduling/Draw
Sick Time
Call Back/Overtime
Training Scheduling and Effects
Daily Company Schedule
Trial Period
The Vote
Appendices
Work Schedule Survey and Results
Holiday Rotation for next 20 years
Schedule Implementation/Paycheck schedule/Platoon designations
Proposed 48/96 Work Schedule Policy
FLSA work periods for 2005
Proposed Maximum Consecutive Work Hours Policy Changes
Proposed Shift Personnel Annual Leave Scheduling Policy Changes
Proposed Daily Company Schedule policy
The Vote
BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION
When the schedule committee was formed by a majority vote of the membership of Provo Fire and Rescue, our goal was to research the schedule(s) that were most popular to the membership of the department. A survey was conducted and the results thereof provided the direction the committee worked towards. Two schedules were popular, one much more so than the other. This schedule is the 48/96. Out of the 69 duty-personnel, 67 completed a survey. 67% chose the 48/96 as their number one choice of schedule whereas 23% chose our current schedule as their first choice. (See Appendix A for a copy of the survey)
This paper is designed to not only highlight some of the advantages/disadvantages to this schedule but also provide more information specific to Provo Fire and Rescue and the committee’s recommendations for a vote and implementation.
DEFINITION OF THE 48/96 WORK SCHEDULE
The 48/96 has been utilized by professional fire departments since the early 1990's. This schedule is not a theoretical experiment but a valid and proven schedule, used by professional departments that are diverse in their demographics, management structure, and overall philosophies. The 48/96 is very similar to our current schedule, the 24/48. On the 48/96 one would be on-duty for two consecutive 24 hour shifts (back to back), and then be off-duty for 96 hours (4 days) before reporting for duty again. i.e. - XXOOOOXXOOOO where X = on-duty and O = off duty. It is a tradition of many fire departments nationwide to define a rotation of their work schedule as a “tour of duty.” The schedule committee has defined the two consecutive 24-hour shifts one would work on the 48/96 as a tour of duty. It is important to remember that a tour of duty is two 24-hour shifts, not one 48 hour shift. Many of the policies and procedures, SOP’s, and method’s of operation currently in place for the 24/48 will also apply to the 48/96 with little or no changes.
ADVANTAGES
Productivity
Working two 24 hour shifts back to back cuts in half many of the tasks we normally do each shift. Items such as vehicle checks can be accomplished just once per rotation as the same personnel were on that rig the day before. This can hold true for some housework, shopping for food, cooking meals, etc. Projects started the first shift can be completed the second, follow up on business inspections can be taken care of the next day. Training can be more complete and effective. In researching the 48/96, many members both administrative and duty personnel have stated that they are more productive on the 48/96 than their previous schedule. They admit that some of this productivity is due to lesser fatigue.
Firefighters working the 48/96 have also stated how much more productive they could be at home or on a second job as they have four consecutive days every time they go off-duty. Many are able to see projects from start to finish before returning for another tour of duty. The 48/96 work schedule has great potential to enable those working it to be more productive. Obviously this is mainly up to the individual motivation of the Captains and their crews, however this schedule would provide more continuity for follow-up on inspections/hydrants or even provide more time for a personal project to be completed.
Retention and Recruitment
Although no data exists to prove this theory, the committee believes that retention and recruitment would be increased as the 48/96 has become a very desirable schedule. As the San Jose report notes, not a single department has voted to revert back to their original schedule after a trial period of the 48/96. In fact, the voting percentages increased dramatically of nearly every department researched from implementing the trial period to making the schedule permanent. This shows the popularity of the 48/96 across a wide spectrum of demographics.
Commuting Time and Expenses
Provo Fire and Rescue firefighters currently work ten 24-hour shifts per month. Although the amount of 24 hour shifts per month would not change on the 48/96, a change to the 48/96 would immediately reduce the commute time by 50%, thus causing firefighters to come to work only 5 times per month, or 60-61 times a year. For some, this is not an issue, but for others the reduction in commuting expenses could save them up to a thousand plus dollars a year. An added benefit to commuting to work half as much is having more time at home. It is estimated that employees that live locally will gain an average of 10 hours per month that they otherwise would have spent driving to/from work. This is time that can be spent with family in the morning, helping kids off to school, sleeping in, exercising, etc.
Holiday Rotation
On our current schedule there is a large imbalance between shifts as to who works holidays. The 48/96 would balance the holiday rotation significantly. See Appendix B for a projected holiday schedule for all three shifts over the next 20 years.
Time Off
On our current schedule we only have 48 hours in between work shifts. Without taking any time off, that is the maximum “rest period” one has before returning to work. On the 48/96 this time is doubled to 96 hours off. In any given year, a firefighter would have 60 four day “rest periods.” This is obviously 60 more “4-days” than we have now. Many argue that they don’t need these four days since, on our current schedule, they can take a single day off and have a five day block off work. Please remember that you have to actually take a day off work to get those five days, whereas on the 48/96 you have 60 four day blocks for free, 18 of which fall on a full weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun). If five days are important to you, you also can have five days off on the 48/96 by using a single vacation day. And, if you use 2 consecutive days on the 48/96 your block of time off increases to 10 days compared to 8 days off on our current schedule.
Trades
Trades may actually be easier while working the 48/96. Currently if we work a trade we will have to work 48 hours unless we flip-flop or have a day off. Either before or after that 48 hours we would only have 24 hours of recovery before coming back to work. On the 48/96, one could work 96 hours if he/she so desired and still have 48 hours of recovery. This is unpalatable to many and understandably so. With the 48/96 there are many options when it comes to trading. If a member so desires, he can trade his shifts (using flip-flops) without ever working more than 48 hours at a time. Each member can decide how many consecutive hours he desires to work (up to 96) and work his trades accordingly.
Some possible scenarios:
AABBCACBABCCAA - a member flip-flops his first day with the preceding platoon, and his second day with the following platoon.
AABBCCCBBBCCAA - a member trades both of his days with the preceding and following platoons respectively. He only owes 24 hours to a person from two different platoons thus reducing the potential for working 96 hours straight in payback. If you work 72 hours you still have 72 hours either before or after as recovery.
There are many more scenarios of how a member may accomplish trades if he so desires.
Less Fatigue
On our current schedule, if we have to work a 48, it seems arduous and tiring. Remember that we only have 24 hours either before or after that 48 for recovery. On the 48/96 we would always receive 96 hours both before and after our tour of duty. On the 48/96, if a member accepts a 24 hour overtime shift or works a single trade, he/she has the potential to work 72 hours. He would still have a minimum of 72 hours of recovery either before or after working 72 hours. The 48/96 provides more recovery time than our current schedule or any other schedule, thus reducing long term fatigue.
Time With Family
Many firefighters argue that 48 hours is too long to be away from home/family. This is a very personal issue and cannot be resolved for some. This was also the main concern for every other fire department that has switched to the 48/96. However once these departments worked the schedule their concerns about the long 48 hours were much less than originally thought. It is important to note that every single department that has begun a trial period of the 48/96 has voted to stay on the schedule after the trial period with an overwhelming majority.
Training
Many of the benefits that departments found were not realized until they were already working the 48/96 schedule. The most notable of these was in the area of training. Many departments found that the quality of training increased. Some departments were able to have firefighters on the training ground at 0600 so as to beat the heat. Night drills were easier to accomplish as the firefighters would be there the next day. Eight hour training classes were completed during the firefighters tour of duty with no interruption of days off. Although it could require an adjustment to scheduling, the 48/96 has many potential benefits in the area of training. The schedule committee does not recommend any changes as to the current method of crew or departmental training when working the 48/96.
Financial Savings For Department
Many departments have found that the 48/96 reduces the amount of sick time usage, and hold-over’s thus reducing the overtime the department pays out. Without working the 48/96 it is unknown yet whether these advantages will be realized in Provo. According to the San Jose report, switching to the 48/96 has had either a neutral or positive effect on reducing sick leave usage within other departments.
DISADVANTAGES
Time Away From Family
Of the many concerns that members listed on their survey, the number one concern was that 48 hours was too much time away from their family. This is a very valid concern and one that is personal and individual. For some this may not be much of an issue, and for others it is a huge hurdle. It is important to note that although we will be working 48 hours straight, we will not be working any more hours than we are working now. Some families will be able to adjust to this new schedule and others may not. This will not be certain until we have worked a trial period of this schedule.
Fatigue
Although the 48/96 can reduce long term fatigue, it can increase short term fatigue. Many firefighters working the 48/96 have found that if they were up both nights on their 48, the fatigue would not catch up with them until the third day. Each individual deals with fatigue differently. Therefore the committee recommends that each individual pays close attention to his/her fatigue level and ensures they get adequate rest. This could be as simple for some as retiring at 2200 while on duty versus staying up watching TV waiting for that “last call.”
Holidays
Holidays can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Although the 48/96 would level the playing field when it comes to the holiday rotation, it will also cause each platoon to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas day approximately every 7-8 years. In addition, platoons typically work a given holiday 3 years in a row and subsequently have 6 years off. We have mapped out the holiday rotation for the next 20 years for the 10 main holidays of the year. Please see Appendix B for this schedule.
Productivity
Productivity can either be increased or decreased while working the 48/96. Productivity is subject to the motivation of the station captain and their crew. Many captains believe that they can actually be more productive while working the 48/96 than on our current schedule, others believe the opposite. Although a work schedule can assist with a person’s productivity or motivation, the committee believes that productivity is entirely up to the captain and his crew, and that a motivated person can be productive regardless of which schedule they are working.
Communication
Every 6 weeks, each platoon will end up working only the weekends, Sat-Sun then Fri-Sat, leaving a period of 10 weekdays (regular city work-days) that the members are off-duty. Additionally if a member takes a tour off, he will be away for 10 consecutive days. This has the potential for those members to have a lapse of communication with the administration or the members of their crew. It will be each members responsibility to remain in communication through e-mail, telephone calls to their crew, or other means thus ensuring that each member is up-to-date with any changes in the department during their absence.
Implementation
The schedule committee has met with the administration to determine the hurdles that may be present in changing to a 48/96 work schedule. Following are the issues that the committee has addressed and presented to the administration for approval.
Paycheck and Platoon Designation
Implementation of the 48/96 can be accomplished without causing any overtime issues or financial costs to the city or the department members. Please see Appendix C for how this may be accomplished.
The plan outlined in appendix C requires that the platoon rotation change from 1-2-3 to 3-2-1 with the change to a 48/96. The committee recommends that we standardize our platoon designations with letters thus eliminating the reverse numbering. Beginning with the 48/96, Shift one would become Platoon C, Shift 2 - Platoon B, and Shift 3 - Platoon A. This would make the order of platoons A-B-C for the 48/96 instead of 3-2-1. This is the most logical time to make such a change however trivial it may seem.
FLSA
In order to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the committee has drafted a policy regarding the 48/96 work schedule. We propose that we change from a 21 day cycle to an 18 day cycle. This would require that each member has 8 hours of non-scheduled work time during the 18 day cycle and eliminate the extra ½ hour we are currently working. The committee also recommends that should we work the new schedule, work hours would be from 0700-0700 for each 24 hour shift. Please see Appendix D to review this policy. This policy and the new 18 day work cycle would be implemented directly after the 21 day cycle ending on December 18. The 48/96 would begin on January 1, 2005 with Shift 3. Appendix C explains this procedure. Appendix E lists the dates of all the work cycles for 2005.
Max Hours Worked
The committee has drafted changes to our current max hours worked policy. The changes state that the maximum amount of hours a member can choose to work is 96 but the department cannot require one to work more than 72 hours. See Appendix F for a copy of the new policy draft.
Time Off/Scheduling/Draw
The committee has drafted changes to our current time off policy. These changes reflect a 48/96 work schedule and define a shift as a 24 hour work day and a tour as two consecutive shifts. The changes suggest that taking a tour off is equal to a week of vacation. Thus, two tours equals two weeks vacation. During the first round of vacation one would be required to take two tours instead of two calendar weeks. All other procedures related to time off would remain the same. Holidays would be picked one at a time. This would enable more members to get either Christmas Eve or Day off if they were assigned to work both days that year. Please see Appendix G to view a copy of the policy draft.
Sick Time
The committee recommends that no changes be made to our current method of using sick time. Members need to understand that when they call in sick, it is for 24 hours unless they state otherwise. Calling in sick at the start of a tour would not mean you are calling in sick for 48 hours unless you make that known to the duty BC. If a member calls in sick for more than two consecutive 24 hour shifts, they will need a doctor’s note before returning to duty. This is in compliance with the city’s current sick time usage policy. Once again, no changes need to be made concerning sick time usage.
Call Back/Overtime
The committee recommends that no changes need to be made concerning our current method of call back/overtime. Members need to review the maximum hours worked policy (Appendix F) and remain in compliance when responding to an overtime page.
Training Scheduling and Effects
The committee recommends that no changes need to be made concerning training. We will be working the same amount of days as in the past and training can be scheduled both on the company level and the department level accordingly.
Daily Company Schedule
Very little changes will need to be made concerning the daily company schedule. Some routine tasks won’t be necessary on the second day of the 48/96. Changes to our current Daily Company Schedule policy have been drafted. (Appendix H) Some tasks need not be duplicated on the second day however this will be individual to each crew. Tasks such as physical fitness activities would need to be completed each shift, however station chores among other items would usually only be necessary prior to the end of the tour.
Trial Period
The committee recommends that if the majority of the department votes in favor of a change to the 48/96 work schedule, it will be on a trial basis of one year. The department will work this schedule for a period of one year after which another vote will be held to either make the 48/96 a permanent schedule or revert back to our current schedule. This second vote will take place during the first week of December 2005, at the end of the trial period.
The Vote
The committee recommends a vote take place from November 29 - December 2, 2004 on whether to implement a 1 year trial period of the 48/96 work schedule beginning January 1, 2005.
The votes will be anonymous and confidential. Members will need to come to station 1 either on or off duty, where Kristen or Alana will check your name on a master list and give you a ballot. You will then place your anonymous vote into a box. The votes will be tallied on Monday, December 6 and the results posted. Station bid’s will then take place for the year 2005 during the week of December 6-12, 2004. After station bid’s are completed, each crew will have their vacation draw for 2005 prior to December 22, 2004. Please see Appendix H for a copy of how the actual vote will be worded.
If you have any questions regarding the information in this packet, please do not make assumptions but research the information or ask any of the committee members.
Appendices
Provo Fire & Rescue Work Schedule Survey Results
We received a total of 67 surveys back. If you did not get the opportunity to fill one out please contact a committee member and we will give you one. The following question is what was asked and where the results were obtained.
Please rank in order of most desirable to least desirable, beginning with 1, the order of schedules you would prefer to work. If you will not even consider a particular schedule place an N next to it X are days on O are days off.
_____ 48/96 XXOOOO
_____ Kelly XOXOXOOOO
_____ Modified Kelly XOXOXOXOOOOXOXOXOXOOOOOO
_____ 24/48 XOO
_____ Other (please describe)___________________
Number of individuals who put N next to schedule, signifying not willing to work said schedule
48/96 5 of 67 voters 7.4% of voters
Kelly 30 of 67 voters 44.7% of voters
M. Kelly 37 of 67 voters 55.2% of voters
24/48 6 of 67 voters 8.9% of voters
Number of individuals who did NOT put an N next to schedule, signifying they are willing to work said schedule
48/96 62 of 67 voters 92.5% of voters
Kelly 37 of 67 voters 55.2% of voters
M. Kelly 30 of 67 voters 44.7% of voters
24/48 61 of 67 voters 91% of voters
Rank of schedules
Choice# 1 2 3 4
48/96 44 - 67% 13 2 4
Kelly 6 - 9% 9 18 3
M. Kelly 2 - 3% 10 8 9
24/48 16 - 23% 27 7 8
Other 0 0 0 0
48/96 Holiday Schedule projections
(not all of these are official city holidays)
1-Jan
Easter
Mother’s Day
Memorial Day
4-Jul
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Proposed 48/96 schedule implementation
Implementation of this schedule is very complicated. It is necessary to implement it without causing overtime issues as well as not disrupting our 2 long, 1 short paycheck rotation. The committee has found a solution that we believe will not cost the city or the firefighters. Currently we are using a 21 day work cycle. We propose to switch to an 18 day cycle beginning December 19, 2004 for the entire time the 48/96 work schedule is in effect. This cycle will begin directly after the 21 day cycle which ends Dec 18, 2004. This will impact many different things:
1. Work hours will revert back to 0700-0700 beginning Dec 19, 2004. We will no longer need to work the extra ½ hour.
2. Members will still be required to take their non-scheduled work time (NWST) during this cycle but it will change from 12 hours to 8 hours. Time scheduled on the calendar will remain. However, some members may need to re-schedule NSWT trades or use some vacation time to fill their scheduled time off slot.
3. Members who have scheduled time off in the new cycle will not forfeit their time.
4. Vacation draw and station bid’s must take place by December 18, 2004, the last date of the final 21 day cycle.
5. Members are encouraged to reconcile their NSWT trades prior to Dec 18, 2004.
This will allow the change over to not cost the city or the firefighters any overtime. The dates set aside for non-scheduled work time will be the first tour of the cycle with the exception of shift 1. The cycle splits shift 1's first/last tour of each cycle. There was no other way to implement the schedule at zero cost without doing it this way. Shift 1 will use the first and last shift of their cycle for non-scheduled work time (NSWT). The calendar on the reverse of this page shows the first 2 cycles of the schedule including the implementation date. Please see Appendix E for the dates of the work cycles throughout 2005 as well as the non-scheduled work time days.
In order to prevent paycheck discrepancies shift 3 must begin the 48/96 on January 1, 2005. This will maintain the current average hours per week for each shift. This requires shift 1 and shift 3 to flip-flop Jan 1, 2005 for Dec 31, 2004 so that shift 3 can begin the schedule on January 1st. This trade will not change the hours worked for those shifts during that work cycle or pay-period. Those members who have scheduled time off on their original work day will have it automatically transferred to the alternative day of the flip flop. This only affects certain members of Shifts 1 and 3.
The committee recommends that since the order of the shifts will be reversed, we implement the platoon lettering system and re-name each shift to a letter instead of a number. When the 48/96 work schedule is implemented, shift 1 will be re-named Platoon C, Shift 2 - Platoon B, Shift 3 - Platoon A. This change will take place corresponding with the beginning of the 48/96. Please see the calendar on the reverse of this page for how this will all work out. The committee has tried to arrange the implementation of this schedule in the easiest way possible while ensuring that it will not financially impact the members of the department or the city.
December 12, 2004 - January 29, 2005
NSWT - day set aside for non-scheduled work time
48/96 WORK SCHEDULE
PURPOSE
To provide a definition of the 48/96 work schedule and compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act
DEFININTIONS
1. Shift - One 24 hour work day i.e. 0700-0700
2. Tour - Two consecutive shifts.
3. Trade - An agreement between two members where they trade time for time. Department is not required to track trades.
4. 48/96 - A work schedule where fire department members work two consecutive shifts (a tour of 48 hours) and then are off duty for 4 days (96 hours) before beginning another tour.
5. FLSA - Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
6. 7K exemption - an exemption in the FLSA which defines the maximum hours a firefighter can work before receiving overtime.
7. Maximum Hours - 212 hours is the maximum amount of hours in a 28 day cycle a firefighter can work before receiving overtime. In 18 days the maximum total is 136. (53 hours per week)
8. Work Cycle - a cycle defined by the department that is no less than 7 days but not more than 28 days. For purposes of the 48/96 work schedule, the cycle will be set at 18 days.
9. Overtime - Any time worked over the maximum hours during the work cycle will be compensated at one and one-half times the members regular pay.
10. Accrued Time Off - any time off a department member accrues annually. This includes vacation, holiday, and sick time.
11. Non-Scheduled Work Time - time during a work cycle where a department member is not scheduled to be on-duty. This is set at 8 hours during an 18 day work cycle.
RESPONSIBILITY
1. Administration - shall assure station captains comply with this policy when scheduling time off for their crews.
2. Station Captains - shall comply with this policy and assure that their crew complies with this policy when scheduling time off, or approving time-off/trade requests.
3. All Personnel - shall comply with this policy.
POLICY
1. In order to comply with the FLSA rules, the work cycle will be set at 18 days while the 48/96 work schedule is in effect. During each cycle, each department member on shift will have 8 hours of non-scheduled work time. This will ensure that each member does not work more than the maximum hours of 136 in eighteen days.
2. The first tour of each cycle will be set aside for non-scheduled work time. Each station will have 6 available slots (3 per 24 hours) during that tour for the 5 members assigned to that respective station.
Exception - The 18 day cycle splits the first/last tour for Platoon C (former shift 1). This platoon will take their non-scheduled work time on the first and last shift of each cycle.
3. If the first tour falls on a regularly scheduled city holiday, the second tour of that cycle will be used for non-scheduled work time.
4. Non-scheduled work time days will not be available for any accrued or banked time off.
Appendix E
Work periods for the year 2005
Dates of first tour for each platoon[1]
Work Cycle Shift 3 (A) Shift 2 (B) Shift 1 (C)
Dec 19 - Jan 5
Dec 19,22
Jan 3,4
MAXIMUM CONSECUTIVE WORK SHIFT
Purpose
To establish a safe and uniform procedure relating to the maximum number of consecutive 24-hour shifts an employee is allowed to work at Provo Fire and Rescue.
Definition
1. Shift - A duty assignment 24-hours in length.
2. Tour - Two consecutive shifts.
Responsibility
Station Captains and All Personnel: Will verify compliance to this procedure prior to approving a time-off trade request form and making daily staffing assignments.
All Personnel: Will ensure that they are adequately rested and able to perform duties as outlined by the Standard Operating Procedures of the Provo Fire and Rescue.
Policy
It is a concern of Provo Fire and Rescue that fatigue caused by extended periods of inadequate rest may impair job performance. Working multiple consecutive shifts may increase the potential for fatigue. Fatigue may effect performance in critical areas.
Procedure
1. Department members will not be forced to work more than 3 consecutive shifts (72 hours) but can elect to work up to 4 consecutive shifts (96 hours).
2. Each employee will schedule his/her callback shifts and trades so that there is compliance with this policy. All members will remain eligible to work regularly assigned shifts.
3. The Duty Chief may suspend this requirement for emergency callback when other qualified individuals are not immediately available. Regardless of the number of hours worked, employees must maintain adequate alertness, skill level, and rest to remain on duty.
Appendix G
SHIFT PERSONNEL ANNUAL LEAVE SCHEDULING
PURPOSE
To provide a system for scheduling vacation, holiday, comp, and military leave
DEFINITIONS
1. Vacation Settlement - Time placed in a firefighter’s vacation bank from a settlement with the city.
2. Banked Time - Utilized time which was earned during previous years and added to vacation accruals.
3. Accrued Time Off - Time a firefighter accrues throughout the year.
4. Shift - One 24 hour work day
5. Tour - Two Consecutive Shifts; i.e. - two consecutive 24 hour work days.
RESPONSIBILITY
1. Station Captains - Shall assure the annual time off scheduling for their crew conforms to this policy.
2. All Personnel - Shall schedule and use all annual holiday leave during the calendar year. Vacation leave for non-probationary firefighters may be used or accrued. Probationary firefighters are not eligible to use accrued vacation time until after the probationary period per Provo City Policy #016-3. The maximum accrual amount at the end of the year is 480 hours. Firefighters in the military must schedule annual training leave when they are notified of annual training dates.
POLICY
Each station crew will be allowed to have one prescheduled, non-administrative time off slot scheduled each shift. The following guidelines will be utilized:
1. Firefighters attending paramedic school, administrative training slots, etc., will not count against station preauthorized time off slots.
2. Time off will be scheduled by seniority, beginning at the top of the crew seniority and working to the bottom. This process will continue until the drw is completed.
3. Vacation time off will be scheduled first, followed by holiday time off.
4. The first round of vacation leave will be scheduled two tours at a time. The tours may be consecutive or separate. Remaining annual accrued vacation will be scheduled in the second round draw. Accrued annual vacation may be scheduled the day of the requested shift provided minimum staffing has been met. Vacation time must be used in 24 hour blocks.
Exception: Firefighters may take a partial week, provided they do not have sufficient annual vacation leave to take the entire week.
5. Holiday leave is schedule one shift at a time.
6. Unused holiday leave will be lost at the end of the year. Vacation leave in excess of 480 hours (shift personnel) will be forfeited and removed from the records at the close of the first pay period ending in the new year.
7. Cancelling scheduled time off is permitted under the following circumstances: Scheduled time off may be traded day for day or the time slot may be given to a crew member. Members giving a time off slot to another crew member will use, accrue, or forfeit the cancelled time. Changes in rescheduled time off must hav a minimum of 72 hour notice or will not be approved.
8. Members required to change platoons during the year will be given first choice of any remaining scheduled vacation or holiday time of the transferring member.
9. Firefighters may submit a time off request to the duty chief the day of the assigned shift. Time off will be granted based on minimum staffing, staffing requirements and scheduled department activities.
10. Scheduling time off after the initial annual draw (draw day) will be as follows:
A. Time off requests are approved on a first come, first serve basis.
1. Seniority will take precedence in the case of a tie.
2. Time off requests for full shifts have priority over partial shifts.
3. Full shift time off requests can bump or cancel a previously approved partial shift request. The firefighter with the approved partial shift may keep the time off by requesting the full shift off.
B. A time off request form must be submitted after the annual vacation draw has been completed for any time a department member is not at work on his/her assigned shift. (Comp time, sick, military, vacation, holiday, trade, etc.)
C. Time off requests are submitted 72 hours in advance to the station officer for review of available time and approval. The station officer is the only approval needed for a vacant time off slot at their assigned station, time adjustment, or a trade request which has been signed and dated by both trading parties.
D. The station officer will retain a copy of all time off requests and forward two copies to the administration to be entered on the department calendar.
E. A copy of the approved time off request will be forwarded to the requesting member once it has been approved and entered on the department calendar.
11. The following days will be held out of the regular vacation selection process.
A. Days set aside for non-scheduled work time. The first tour of each work cycle is set aside for this purpose unless that tour falls upon a city holiday. In that case the second tour of that cycle will be used for non-scheduled work time.
B. The following days will be selected during the regular holiday draw
1. Thanksgiving Day
2. Christmas Eve
3. Christmas Day
PROCEDURE
Before December 31 of each year, each station officer will assure the completion of their crew’s annual leave draw.
The selection process is scheduled by seniority, staring with two tours of vacation, with the second round scheduling all remaining annual vacation. Holidays are selected one shift at a time.
Time off requests on the day of an assigned shift will be submitted to the station officer for initial approval. The station officer will consult the department electronic calendar for availability. When approved by the station Captain, the request will be forwarded to the assigned Duty Chief for final approval. Approval is granted when the department member has a properly approved and signed request sheet.
A variance to any portion of this policy must be addressed through the assigned station Battalion Chief.
DAILY COMPANY SCHEDULE
PURPOSE
To establish guidelines for routine and essential company activities.
DEFINITIONS
1. Regular Duty Shift. The 24-hour period from 0700 hours on the day a member is assigned to work until 0700 hours the following day.
2. Tour of Duty. Two regular duty shifts worked consecutively.
3. Routine Company Tasks. These tasks include but are not limited to: Physical Fitness Activities, Daily Vehicle Checks, Incident Reporting, Station Cleaning.
4. Essential Company Tasks. These tasks may change from year to year but will usually include: Business Inspections, Hydrant Testing, Hose Testing, Pre-fire Planning, and Pump Testing.
5. End of Tour Relief. Department members are relieved at the end of their tour when the following two conditions are met; the tour of duty has ended and a qualified replacement member is at the station to relieve the off going member.
RESPONSIBILITY
All Captains. Captains are responsible for ensuring that all essential and routine company tasks are completed.
POLICY
Every company shall report to duty and complete essential and routing company tasks in a reasonable and timely manner.
PROCEDURES
1. Platoon change shall take place at 0700 hours. Members must be ready to respond to emergency calls by 0700.
2. Members anticipating being late for work, must notify the on-duty BC at 852-6305 20 minutes prior to their assigned shift.
3. Members unable to report to work for their regular duty shift must notify the on-duty BC at 852-6305 when they first know they will be absent or no later than 20 minutes prior to the assigned shift. Members must make it clear to the duty BC as to how many hours they will be absent, otherwise he will assume it to be for 24 hours at a time.
4. Department members are required to remain at the assigned station until the end of tour relief.
5. Routine company tasks must be completed prior to platoon change at the end of tour relief. Exceptions to this would be physical fitness activities, battery checks/changes, and narcotics checks which should be completed every regular duty shift.
Appendix I
48/96 Vote
After reading the information provided about the 48/96 work schedule, including the proposed policy and procedure changes, are you in favor of implementing the 48/96 work schedule and the associated policy and procedure changes on a trial basis for a period of one year beginning January 1, 2005, or are you in favor of remaining on our current schedule?
CHECK ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
____Implement a trial basis the 48/96 work schedule for 1 year
____Remain on our current schedule
Along with this vote, member acknowledges receipt of packet regarding all information about the 48/96 work schedule.
SPECIAL NOTE ON ADDENDUM A
There is a good chance that the original implementation date of the 48/96 work schedule of January 1, 2005 may be pushed back a few months. This is due to research that HR must do to determine any hurdles or problems that the schedule committee has not foreseen. Therefore, in order to continue with a vote on this schedule, we have found an alternative implementation date in April of 2005. This date does not change the dates one would work on any given shift if we had implemented on our original date. This means that the holiday schedule, work cycles, and non-scheduled work time days presented in the report would not change. The vote next week will determine whether we move forward with this schedule. The only uncertainty is the actual date of implementation whether it be in January or April of 2005.
This addendum serves to inform members of the specifics regarding the implementation date for April. See the attached addendum for the information.
The actual vote would be worded slightly different than the original. Following is a draft of how the vote will be worded which takes place next week from Nov 29 - Dec 2.
VOTE
After reading the information provided about the 48/96 work schedule, including the proposed policy and procedure changes and all information provided in the report, are you in favor of implementing the 48/96 work schedule and the associated policy and procedure changes on a trial basis beginning either January 1, 2005 or April 25, 2005.
_____YES Implement a trial basis of the 48/96 work schedule
_____NO I would prefer to remain on our current schedule.
[1]These are the dates set aside for non-scheduled work time and are not available for accrued or banked time off.
[2]Re-scheduled because of July 4 - city holiday.
[3]Re-scheduled because of July 24,25 - city holiday.
[4]Re-scheduled because of November 25 - city holiday.
[5]Re-scheduled because of New Years Eve - city holiday