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Oshkosh approves firefighter labor contract that moves crews to 48-on/96-off schedule
Summary
The City of Oshkosh approved a labor contract with the International Association of Firefighters Local 316 that shifts staffing from a 24-on/24-off rotation to a 48-on/96-off schedule; city officials and fire leadership said the change aims to improve recovery time, family time and recruitment while keeping overall coverage the same.
The Oshkosh City Council approved a labor contract with the International Association of Firefighters Local 316 on Sept. 23 that changes firefighter schedules from the current 24-on/24-off rotation to a 48-on/96-off rotation.
Councilmember Nichols asked city leadership to explain the change and raise concerns about fatigue and EMS workload during longer shifts. The Fire Chief said the 48/96 schedule — sometimes called the “48/96” shift — has been adopted by many departments and provides longer recovery periods between duty blocks, improves family time for employees and helps recruiting. “With the longer duration of time in between shifts, the recovery time they're finding is much better,” the Fire Chief said. He added that among chiefs at a recent regional meeting, eight of nine were either running the 48/96 shift or negotiating to adopt it.
The chief said total staffing and total coverage hours will remain the same under the new schedule and described changes to ambulance overtime assignments: instead of ordering staff in for a full 24-hour overtime shift, the city will order 12-hour overtime to better align with the new rotation. He said that management and labor negotiated the ambulance scheduling changes together.
Nichols expressed concerns about responder fatigue and health given the higher number of EMS calls, asking whether a 48-hour active period could increase burnout. The chief responded that evidence and studies show longer rest blocks produce better recovery and can help employees decompress mentally between duty blocks.
The contract was approved as part of the consent agenda and recorded in the roll call on the consent vote. The consent motion carried, and the contract was included in the items passed that evening.
The council discussion and questions occurred during the consent-item discussion before the vote, while the formal approval was recorded in the roll call that concluded the consent agenda.
Ending: The new contract and shift change are effective according to the terms negotiated in the labor agreement; the council approved the agreement during the Sept. 23 meeting.
