The Swift Current Fire Fighters have always advocated for the health and safety of both Fire Fighters and our community. With over 5 years of extensive research and now first hand experience - the importance of shift configuration to the overall well-being of Fire Fighters and it's impact on the community cannot be overstated. We ask that you look for yourself and stand with us in support of the 24-Hour Shift Configuration as the shift for Our Fire Fighters and Our Community as it becomes the standard in Canada.
Health and Safety ReportPrioritizing a shift configuration that ensures our Fire Fighters are always at their peak performance for you and safeguarding our health outcomes from occupational hazards.
Fire Fighters must contend with irregular work hours that disrupt the circadian rhythm, a natural oscillation repeating every 24 hours. The 24-hour shift promotes better alignment with these physiological cycles. By compressing regular scheduled hours, the 24-hour shift eliminates the dangerous "quick return" between shifts and consecutive nocturnal disruptions that cause cumulative fatigue and chronic illness.
A safer community starts with responders who have the time to train and recover effectively. Our Fire Fighters provide an all-hazard response that requires ample time to train for every discipline that keeps the community safe. The 24-hour shift not only improves access to training but also maximizes training time without discontinuing for crew change. On a 24-hour shift crews can return to and continue training efforts the same day.
Clarifying common misconceptions.
The Fact: Fire Fighters must work 24 hours per day and 365 days per year.
There are 8760 hours in a year. With a 4 platoon system each platoon covers 25% of those hours each year. This means that Fire Fighters on average work 2184 hours annually. This does not include overtime or the hours Fire Fighters commit to being on call year round. We don't mistake "days off" for "time off". The 24 Hour shift configuration does not give Fire Fighters more time off.
The Fact: No more Fire Fighters hold second jobs today than with previous shift configurations.
Our commitment is more than full-time no matter what the calendar says. Regardless of off-duty activities many of our Fire Fighters remain ready for the call. Our Fire Fighters will often use their earned time off to serve the community in other ways. Safety is never compromised. Our community deserves Fire Firefighters who can be called upon not only on their worst day but as a presence in their everyday lives. Safe staffing is a result of manning policy, not shift configuration.
The Fact: The 24-hour shift provides the most significant recovery windows.
The 24-hour shift provides a full 24 hours of recovery between shifts and extended recovery between tours. This strategy allows Fire Fighters the optimized recovery time to return to work fit for duty for the next shift and more resistant to occupational hazards. Fatigue and susceptibility are in inherent for shift configurations that feature consecutive night shifts and "quick returns". The 24-hour shift does not cause cumulative fatigue, it combats it.
The 24-hour shift has been utilized in Canada for decades and has evolved from a trial initiative to the prevailing Fire Service standard across the country.
Riverview, NB
Population: 20,584
Composite Department
4 Platoon System
Oromocto, NB
Population: 11,486
Composite Department
4 Platoon System
Truro, Ns
Population: 14,528
Composite Department
4 Platoon System
Yarmouth, NS
Population: 7200
Composite Department
4 Platoon System
Terrace, BC
Population: 12,299
Composite Department
4 Platoon System
"I stand with Swift Current Fire Fighters for a safer shift configuration."