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Prosper fire chief recommends keeping 48/96 shift schedule after one-year pilot
Summary
After a one-year pilot, Prosper Fire Department staff recommended adopting the 48/96 shift schedule permanently, citing improved rest, morale and training hours. Council members asked staff to return with another review in 12 months to verify budget and operational impacts.
The Prosper Fire Department presented a one-year review of its 48/96 shift schedule on Feb. 11, 2025, and staff recommended making the schedule permanent while agreeing to return with another review in 12 months.
Chief: "This is our 1 year review. We implemented the, the 48 96 schedule for the firefighters that are on shift, in February," the chief told the council, summarizing the pilot and the department—s findings.
Why it matters: The schedule—where crews work two consecutive 24-hour shifts and then are off for 96 hours—was implemented as a pilot to improve firefighter quality of life and aid recruitment. Council members said the change could affect budgeting and overtime calculations but acknowledged benefits for staffing and retention.
Details and metrics: The chief told council members that department surveys and operational data supported the change. "The findings were a 100 of the members, wanted to keep it. A 100% of the members reported feeling more rested when and, when they return to work, and a 100% noticed an increase in teamwork and morale," the chief said. Staff reported increases in total training hours (roughly a 5,500-hour increase for 2024), a decrease in overtime, a drop in sick time (from about 6,400 hours to under 5,000 hours), zero at-fault fleet accidents and zero medication errors in fiscal year 2024, and three work-related injuries requiring missed work.
Budget and FLSA: Council and staff discussed how the schedule interacts with Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) pay cycles. The chief said the city had moved to a 14-day FLSA cycle and that an earlier rough estimate for adjustments was about $85,050 (approximately 1.09% of the overall budget) and that a later estimate for the current year had been in the range of $170,000. The chief said the committee that recommended the 14-day cycle included finance, payroll and human resources.
Council direction: Staff formally recommended adoption of the 48/96 schedule. Rather than take immediate action to finalize a permanent change, the council agreed to have staff return with another evaluation in 12 months to confirm financial projections and operational impacts.
Next steps: The chief will continue to provide weekly and periodic budget reports; council requested a follow-up review in one year that includes updated overtime and liability projections.
