Fire department scheduling
Firefighter Schedule
Understand the 24/48, 48/96, and Kelly rotations, then generate your own fire shift calendar.
How firefighter shifts work
Fire departments need around-the-clock coverage, so firefighters work 24-hour shifts on rotating patterns that balance time on duty with recovery time off. Unlike a standard 8-hour job, a firefighter's schedule is built around a repeating cycle of duty and rest days, spread across two, three, or four shifts (often called platoons, battalions, or crews).
The most common firefighter schedules are the 24/48, the 48/96, and the Kelly schedule, plus the California swing variation. Each has a different rhythm and a different average number of weekly hours, which is why departments choose based on staffing, overtime budget, and crew preference.
The 24/48 schedule
Three crews rotate one 24-hour shift followed by 48 hours off. Each crew works every third day, averaging about 56 hours per week. It is the classic firefighter schedule and remains widely used.
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | D | O | O |
| B | O | D | O |
| C | O | O | D |
The 48/96 schedule
Three crews work two consecutive 24-hour shifts (48 hours on), then get 96 hours off. This gives firefighters a four-day break every cycle while averaging about 48 hours per week.
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | D | D | O | O | O | O |
| B | O | O | D | D | O | O |
| C | O | O | O | O | D | D |
Kelly and California swing schedules
The Kelly schedule runs a 9-day cycle: work 24, off 24, work 24, off 24, work 24, then four days off. It spreads a full day of rest between shifts and ends each cycle with a long break, which many crews find easier to recover around than the plain 24/48.
The California swing is a variant used to give firefighters more consecutive time off by pairing shifts differently across the cycle. Departments often tweak the base patterns to match their call volume and overtime rules, so the exact rotation can vary from station to station.
Below you can generate a full firefighter shift calendar for your department, then print it as a PDF or download it to share with the crew.
Build your schedule
Choose a shift pattern and build your team's schedule.
Shift hours (optional)
Team constraints (optional)
Enter your team and click Generate schedule to see your schedule.
Frequently asked questions
What is a firefighter schedule?
A firefighter schedule is the rotating 24-hour shift pattern a fire department uses to keep crews staffed around the clock, most often the 24/48, 48/96, or Kelly schedule.
What schedule do firefighters work?
Firefighters commonly work 24-hour shifts on rotating patterns such as 24/48, 48/96, or the Kelly schedule, plus variations like the California swing.
What is a 24/48 firefighter schedule?
A 24/48 schedule has three crews: each crew works a 24-hour shift, then gets 48 hours off before the next shift.
What is a 48/96 firefighter schedule?
A 48/96 schedule has three crews working two consecutive 24-hour shifts (48 hours on), followed by 96 hours (four days) off.
What is the Kelly schedule?
The Kelly schedule firefighter rotation is a 9-day cycle where firefighters work 24 hours, get 24 off, work 24, get 24 off, work 24, then get four consecutive days off.
What is a fireman schedule?
A fireman schedule is another name for a firefighter schedule — the rotating 24-hour shifts a firefighter works, most commonly the 24/48, 48/96, or Kelly patterns.
What are firefighter shifts?
Firefighter shifts are 24-hour duty tours. Unlike an 8-hour job, each firefighter shift runs a full day and night, then the crew rotates off for one to four days depending on the schedule.
How many hours do firefighters work?
A 24/48 schedule averages 56 hours per week, while a 48/96 schedule averages 48 hours per week over its cycle.