FHExpo18: Addressing Poor Sleep Habits among Firefighters

It’s almost universally agreed that firefighters don’t get enough sleep, and it’s only worse when they have shift work with erratic scheduling.

Joel M. Billings, a Ph.D. candidate at Oklahoma State University, in the Fire and Emergency Management Administration Graduate Program, put the problem into perspective.

During a class he presented at Firehouse Expo, Billings talked about the findings he discovered while working on his doctoral dissertation. The class was called: “Experimental Research Between 24/48 and 48/96: Effects on Health and Sleep.”

In 2014, Billings worked with more than 100 firefighters from six departments in a similar geographic region all answering between 4,000 and 5,000 calls annually.

The focus was to determine the differences between the 24 hour on, 48 hour off and the 48 hour on and 96 hour off shift patterns. He also looked briefly at the Kelly Shift cycle where firefighters work a nine-day cycle where they work a 24-hour shift, followed by 24 hours off for three rotations and then four days off.

Using a scientific formula, based on information provided by the firefighters themselves who filled out surveys, Billings found the Kelly Shift schedule was by far the worst for sleep quality. The 48/96 schedule was better, but the best for restful sleep was the 24/48 cycle.

“It takes about two days to get back into a good sleep rhythm,” Billings said.

Factors that play into the sleep cycle include the number of interruptions a firefighter might have on any given night. Billings said it appears that two calls per night have only a modest effect on the quality of a night’s sleep, but more than that, is disruptive.

The amount of time it takes to fall back to sleep after an interruption also affects sleep quality and the amount of sleep.

Some things that can be done to mitigate the interruptions and improve sleep quality is a graduated alarm system that goes from soft to loud, rather than a jarring bell, Billings said. Lighting that brightens gradually, or goes from red to white also helps, he said.

Limiting alarms to only those who must respond will reduce the number of firefighters who have their sleep interrupted unnecessarily, Billings said.

”Bad things happen when you don’t get enough sleep,” Billings said. “You might experience poor performance, reduced alertness, memory recall deficiencies and reduced reaction speed.”

He also said there are some serious health issues that can arise from lack of sleep, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, depressed immune systems and a variety chronic health issues.

Billings said there are additional actions departments can make to improve the sleep quality of its firefighters, including individual sleep areas, with solid walls, solid doors and window coverings.

High-quality bedding materials that are inspected and rotated regular is another good idea, he added.

And, sometimes, sanctioned napping can help too, he said, adding some fire departments allow firefighters to sleep during lunch time.

Billings said he wants to do more with his studies and look at other types of shift schedules to determine what is best, because firefighters need to be alert for their jobs.

“When you don’t have enough sleep, you’re sleepy, and that’s not good,” Billings said.