Bryan council hears proposal to pilot 48/96 firefighter schedule to curb turnover

Lieutenant Walter Norrell of the Bryan Fire Department urged the City Council to pilot a 48/96 work schedule, saying the change would give firefighters more recovery time, improve retention and help the department recruit fully certified firefighter–paramedics.

“We're here because Bryan Fire Department is hemorrhaging firefighter paramedics,” Lieutenant Walter Norrell said, laying out the task force’s findings and poll results. He said the department’s internal poll had an 80% response rate and that 79% of respondents favored the schedule change.

The presentation summarized the schedule’s mechanics—same total hours and pay but longer off-duty stretches that produce “61 extra wake-ups at home” annually and more full weekends off—and compared Bryan to nearby departments. Norrell said seven of eight comparable agencies already operate on 48/96 and argued Bryan is an outlier.

Why it matters: Norrell and Chief Richard Giusti told council the current recruiting and training pipeline is costly. Norrell estimated it can cost roughly $100,000 per year per employee to train a new firefighter–paramedic and said replacing a fully certified employee can take up to three years, creating service gaps and higher overtime costs.

In the presentation, Norrell offered retention data for 2020–2024: the department hired 74 firefighters and 45 remained (a 61% retention rate), with 29 separations (39% turnover). He said 13 people left in five years specifically to join departments on 48/96 schedules, and that departures accelerated in 2025.

Council followed with substantive questions about safety, fatigue and implementation. Councilman Torres asked whether longer off-duty periods would let employees take second jobs and impair availability during a major incident; Norrell replied that “this is known as your first duty” and that the department has systems to call staff back when needed. Several members pressed for data on how many firefighters hold a second firefighting job and asked for anonymized HR reports on hire sources, tenure and local residency.

Council members and staff also raised safety concerns. Councilmember Brisk and others asked how the department would manage fatigue and whether the proposed fatigue-management protocols and battalion‑chief oversight described in the packet would be sufficient. Norrell pointed to short‑term fatigue that can occur during the schedule but said the longer recovery windows typically reduce chronic burnout.

Process and next steps: Staff told council it will convene HR, risk, safety and finance to evaluate operational sustainability and pilot parameters. The city manager’s office agreed to provide follow-up reports—including a count of second firefighting jobs, anonymized tenure/attrition data, and the percentage of firefighters who live in the Bryan area—before any formal council action. Norrell urged a prompt review, noting an upcoming academy class of 27 recruits that the department wants to retain under any new schedule.

Councilmembers thanked the chief and presenters for the analysis and emphasized the need for cautious implementation, monitoring and a review timeline if the pilot proceeds.

The workshop did not include a vote. Staff will return with recommended language, committee findings and requested data for future deliberation.