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Council approves Fire Rescue shift change to 24‑72 schedule to improve retention and recovery time
Summary
Greenville approved Fire Rescue's proposal to change firefighter work schedules from a 24/48 pattern to a 24/72 (one day on, three days off) schedule; leadership said the move aims to reduce turnover, improve work-life balance and lower overtime costs while preserving current pay and benefits; council approved 5-0.
The Greenville City Council on Sept. 11 voted 5-0 to approve Fire Rescue’s proposal to move from the department’s current 24‑on/48‑off schedule to a 24‑on/72‑off schedule (one 24‑hour shift followed by three days off), a change Deputy Chief Jesse Harris said was recommended in a 2023 consultant review and supported by department employees.
Harris told the council the department has experienced substantial turnover over the past four years—about 99–100 employees—and that many departing firefighters left for lateral positions in other jurisdictions with lower call volumes or different schedules. He said approximately 18,000 of the department’s 21,500 calls are EMS transports, and the proposed schedule aims to give staff longer recovery time, reduce sick‑leave usage and improve recruitment and retention. Harris said the department will “hold harmless” pay and benefits by adjusting base hourly rates so employees’ overall compensation is not reduced by the schedule change.
Harris explained the initial transition would use temporary “work groups” to cover vacancies while hiring and academy classes proceed; he said the city has funded positions in recent years that make the transformation possible and that the long‑term goal is to eliminate vacancy work groups. Harris estimated current shift staffing across operations and said the model would reduce the number of scheduled shifts an individual works each month (he gave examples comparing hours under the two schedules).
Councilmembers asked whether the temporary lower per‑shift headcount during transition would create operational gaps; Harris said vacancy work groups would be used to make up the difference and that additional hiring would be posted once council approved the change. Council members also sought confirmation that retirement and benefits would not be negatively affected; Harris said calculations and a department spreadsheet allowed staff to demonstrate compensation equivalence and that retirement would not be impacted by the change.
Councilmember Blackburn made the motion to approve the shift‑schedule change; it was seconded and passed 5-0. Harris said staff will return with a concise transition plan and report progress in January.
