Kissimmee’s move to a new firefighter schedule is being delayed, and city leaders might give current firefighters extra paid time off in the meantime. – Kissimmee’s move to a new firefighter schedule, intended to give crews more recovery time, is being delayed, and city leaders are set to vote on giving current firefighters extra paid time off while the city finishes the transition.
City commissioners approved a 42-hour workweek last June, changing the usual 24-hour-on, 48-hour-off to a schedule that adds a third day off between shifts.
The city had targeted an April 1 start date.
Fire Chief Jim Walls, who supported the change, said the extra day off will help with retention and quality of life for firefighters.
“For work-life balance for mental and physical health, we’ve been trying to reduce the workweek,” he told News 6 last June. “So that first day off is really just trying to recover from the shift before. So then that next day off is your one true day off to enjoy time with family, friends.”
But an updated agreement with the firefighters’ union shows the start of the new shift will be delayed as the city has determined that “additional time is necessary to complete the transition.”
On Tuesday, the city will vote on that updated memorandum of understanding between the city and the Kissimmee Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 4208. If approved, it would give firefighters 150 hours of additional “fire holiday leave” on April 1 to compensate for the delayed rollout.
If the new schedule does not begin by April 25, employees will receive an additional 24 hours. If the fourth shift is still not in place by May 30, the agreement would add another 15 hours, potentially bringing the total extra time off to 189 hours.
The President of Kissimmee Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 4208, Joshua Clark, sent News 6 a statement on the agreement, calling it a “gesture of good faith by the union.”
“Fire holiday leave exists because firefighters work on City-recognized holidays instead of getting those days off like most employees. Previously, it was agreed that members would receive 7 fire holidays if the 24/72 schedule was implemented before April 1. Because implementation is now projected for April 25, the current contract states members would instead receive a total of 10.5 fire holidays. With the timeline moving slightly past April 1, the city approached the union about a memorandum of understanding,” Clark explained.
“After working together, both sides agreed to a compromise of 8 fire holidays, which essentially gives 39 hours back to the city while still assisting the department to move forward with the new schedule.”
The plan approved last year included a new fire fee to pay for the change. That fee requires annual assessments of residential properties. The fee is expected to generate more than $6.1 million to support the new schedule.
The commission meets on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
You can read the updated memorandum in the media player below.