Burbank Firefighters Post Public B-Shift Calendar

- The Burbank Fire Department utilizes a 48/96 schedule, which consists of 48 hours on duty followed by 96 hours off. This model is a change from their previous "Kelly day" schedule. - Many fire departments traditionally use a three-platoon system with A, B, and C shifts working 24 hours on and 48 hours off to ensure constant staffing. - To manage overtime and comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), some departments incorporate "Kelly Days," which are scheduled paid days off that occur during a shift cycle. - The Seattle Fire Department, in contrast, operates on a four-platoon system. Their schedule is a repeating cycle of one 24-hour shift on, 48 hours off, another 24-hour shift on, followed by 96 hours (four days) off. - A primary reason for fire departments to make calendars and scheduling information public and accessible online is to streamline the process of filling overtime shifts and managing shift trades among firefighters. - Public shift calendars also offer transparency and allow firefighters' families to better plan around the demanding and often irregular work hours inherent in the profession. - The transition to different work schedules, such as Burbank's move to the 48/96, is typically a subject of negotiation between the city and the firefighters' union, documented in Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). - Staffing shortages can strain existing schedules, leading to firefighters working significant overtime, which was a point of concern for the Burbank Firefighters Union in late 2022.