Government
BY JACQUELYN BURRER
New Plano firefighter schedule to assist with recovery, retention
The context
Once fully implemented, the new schedule will reduce firefighters’ average work week from 56 hours to 42 hours. Although the contract goes into effect Oct. 1, Plano Fire-Rescue personnel will not fully tran- sition to the 24/72 shift schedule until around 2029 once staffing levels are met. Plano residents should not expect any changes in service during the gradual rollout, according to city documents. New hiring is expected to begin in fall 2025, and current firefighters will start receiving addi- tional paid days off, called “Kelly Days,” as the department shifts towards the 24/72 schedule.
City Manager Mark Israelson said Sept. 16 the new schedule will be phased in over the next five years, with the department hiring 22 new personnel each year for a total of 110 new hires. The new staff will create a “D-Shift” to account for the additional day off. “This provides our firefighters with more time to rest and recover and puts them closer to being on par with the scheduled weekly work hours for the rest of the city,” Israelson said. “We are the first to be able to do this [in Texas].”
A new shift schedule aimed at increasing firefighter recovery time is now in place at Plano Fire-Rescue, making the department the first all-paid fire department in Texas to adopt a “24/72” shift schedule. Plano City Council approved a contract at the Sept. 16 meeting with the Plano Firefighters’ Association that will allow firefighters to work 24 hours on duty followed by 72 hours off—a shift from the current 24-hours on, 48-hours off schedule.
Plano Fire-Rescue civil service employees
Plano Fire-Rescue average hours worked per week Under the new schedule, firefighters will have a 25% reduction in time on duty per week.
Plano fire department calls, 2015-2024 According to data from Plano Fire-Rescue, the department has seen a nearly 40% increase in service calls since 2015.
Plano Fire-Rescue will add 110 firefighters by 2029-30 to accommodate the new schedule.
Staff
Hours per week
600
60
24,945
2015
2016
26,020
400
40
26,850
2017
200
2018
27,906
20
27,901
2019
0
0
2020
25,622
33,449
2021
2022
32,976
In 2028-29, the shift schedule will change from 24/48 to 24/72.
2023
33,076
2024
34,732
SOURCE: CITY OF PLANO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF PLANO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
What they’re saying
Adam Gilliland, a recent firefighter recruit with Plano Fire-Rescue, said the possibility of the new schedule factored into his decision to try to work in Plano. “If a city is willing to help out their firefighters that much, … it kind of speaks volumes to how the department probably is,” Gilliland said. “I’ve got four children, and that’s a lot more time I’m going to be able to spend with them … You can’t put a price on that.”
Gillespie said the additional time off is particularly important for recovery between shifts as the city’s call volume has continued to grow in recent years. “We knew what we were getting when we signed up for it,” Gillespie said. “That [first] day that you’re off, you’re trying to recover, ... [and the next day], you’re kind of preparing to go to work, so with this, it gives us an opportunity to fully recover.”
Plano Firefighter and EMT Laddin Gillespie, said the shift change reflects a broader cultural shift in the fire service. “Forty years ago, it was a badge of honor to wear dirty, filthy bunker gear,” Gillespie said. “Now if you see somebody with dirty bunker gear, you’re like, ‘Hey man, wash your stuff. It’s cancer on that.’ So we’re doing a better job of taking care of each other.”
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PLANO SOUTH EDITION
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