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Fire chief asks council to begin transition from 56-hour schedule, proposes $3.7M step toward a fourth shift
Summary
Fire Chief Ken Pravitz told council firefighter health, lost time and staffing are top priorities; he proposed a phased plan — previously $4.7M, now a $3.7M request — to move toward an average 48-hour workweek by adding staffing and shifting schedules, and described health screenings and equipment upgrades.
Ken Pravitz, chief of the Virginia Beach Fire Department, briefed the council on three priorities: firefighter health, staffing, and supply-chain/fleet challenges. Noting the department has seen more than 40 firefighters with cancer diagnoses, he described expanded health screening and pilot installations such as a diesel-exhaust capture device on Engine 19.
Pravitz said lost-time due to injury and illness averages roughly 42…
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