question for FDNY about shifts

[IrishFire13]

This is my first post on the forums, referred to them by BLSboy. I am 18 years old and about to start EMT school on wednesday. But enough about me.

I have been obsessed with Fire Fighting since I was 2 and started to understand that my moms cousin was fire figher in new york city. From then on my goal is to move back to Long Island or NYC and join the FDNY.

I had trouble understanding how you run shifts. A lt. from Brevard County Fire Rescue tried to explain it but he didn't know to well. I was wondering if one of the guys could attempt to explain it.

Thanks a bunch
be safe.
Ryan

[cozmosis]

Good luck on getting an easy to understand answer. As is the case with a lot of what FDNY does... it's different than the rest of the country and sometimes hard to understand. I think they operate with something like 25 platoons and rotate them in such a way that you aren't always working with the same crew.

[UsingAllHands]

Originally posted by cozmosis
it's different than the rest of the country and sometimes hard to understand. I think they operate with something like 25 platoons and rotate them in such a way that you aren't always working with the same crew.

They are called, groups, and yes, there are 25 of them. I'll try to give you the simplest answer I can, so here goes...

Each member (firefighter) is given a group # 1-25. In each company, for the most part, there is only one member per group. Not all groups are filled up, for example, if a company only has 21 firefighters, there are a few open groups. If a company has more than 25 members, there are a 'double group.'

Okay, now. There are two tours (shifts.) 0900-1800 (Known as the 9X6 or day tour) and the 1800-0900 (Known as the 6X9 or night tour.)

Each tour, 6 groups are assigned to work. If your number is in, you're working. If it's not, you're off.

For any given group number, the schedule is like this: On for 2 consecutive day tours, then off for 48 hours. On for 2 consecutive night tours, then off for 72 hours. The only variation to that is that once ever 25 days, each group gets 72 hours off after the 2 day tours.

The group numbers move around so that you don't work with exactly the same groups on any particular tour except once every 25 days.

Generally, each member also has a steady 'mutual partner' with whom to exchange tours so as to work 24 hours. However, you can pretty much do mutual exchanges with anyone in your firehouse. You can work it out with your partner so that you each work 24 hours and then have 72 hours off, or alternate so that one of you has 96 hours off between 24's and the other only has 48 hours off between 24's.

24's are nice, for obvious reasons, but straight tours have their advantages, too. The flexibility to do either is what makes the schedule great.

I hope this makes sense, it did to me, but then again, I'm used to it.

E229lt had a post once that showed what it looks like but I can't find it right now. Loo, maybe you can link that thread? It was about 6 months or so I believe...

[E229Lt]

This one?

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That's about it, unless you work 24s

[UsingAllHands]

hehe...yup, that's the one I was thinking of...