NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk is moving ahead with plans to add a fourth firefighter shift, a move city officials say will reduce overtime and ease burnout.
The city has committed $1.8 million to create 34 firefighter positions. WTKR reported the new schedule is expected to reduce firefighters’ average workweek from 52 hours or more to about 42 hours.
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Union and department leaders said the current schedule contributes to burnout, heart risks and mental and physical strain, and that shorter workweeks could improve firefighter and public safety.
The change follows concerns about the physical and mental strain associated with extended shifts. Officials in Virginia Beach are also watching Norfolk’s plan as they consider staffing and scheduling changes of their own.
Norfolk launched a lateral recruitment process aimed at certified firefighters from other departments. The application period closed July 17, and the city received an unexpectedly high number of applicants from across the region and the country. The first lateral firefighter academy is expected to begin in November.
Noel Garo, a Virginia Beach Fire Department battalion chief and vice president of IAFF Local 2924, said the department uses the same three-shift schedule as Norfolk, with firefighters working 24-hour shifts.
Virginia lawmakers approved legislation in 2026 encouraging localities to reduce firefighters’ workweeks to 42 hours. In April, Virginia Beach Fire Chief Ken Pravetz asked the City Council to fund an initial reduction from 56 hours to 48, with a fourth shift remaining the long-term goal.
Garo said Norfolk’s progress could encourage Virginia Beach leaders to act, while also increasing competition for firefighters in an already tight labor market.
Would a fourth shift reduce burnout and improve retention at your department, or would the staffing and funding challenges outweigh the benefits?
