“If you build it, they will come” — a fourth shift with a 24/72 schedule, that is. Behind the Shield podcaster James Geering is pushing the fire service to rethink the traditional workweek, arguing that a healthier schedule could improve not only firefighter recovery and performance but also recruitment and retention. Geering points to departments already making the move and challenges a long-held assumption that chronic fatigue and mandatory overtime simply come with the job. He also offers practical changes departments can make, including shifting start times so members coming off a rough night have a better chance to sleep before driving home. But this isn’t simply a scheduling debate. It’s a bigger question about what the fire service expects from its people: If we want firefighters operating at a high level on scene, Geering argues, departments need to give them the time and conditions to recover, train and come back ready to perform.
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