06/25/2026
Sharing this because our department is facing the same reality as union members across Minnesota and across the country.
The 24-hour shift remains the most efficient and cost-effective way to staff fire stations with highly trained professionals who are ready to respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The challenge isn’t just the schedule—it’s the dramatic increase in call volume and workload. Emergency responses have skyrocketed, but staffing levels have not kept pace. As a result, firefighters are being asked to do significantly more with the same or only slightly increased resources.
The consequences are real: sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue, mental health challenges, and a declining work-life balance. These issues don’t just affect firefighters and their families—they can impact the long-term sustainability of the profession.
Supporting our firefighters means ensuring departments have the staffing needed to meet today’s demands while protecting the health and well-being of the men and women who are there for our communities every hour of every day.
When people think about firefighters working 24-hour shifts, one question we occasionally hear is:
"Do firefighters really get paid to sleep?"
The answer is yes; when emergencies allow. But the reality is that many nights, firefighters are awakened three, four, or even five times to respond to fires, medical emergencies, vehicle crashes, alarms, and other calls for help. Interrupted sleep isn't the exception; it's often part of the job.
Now consider this: the average firefighter works a 56-hour workweek. Over the course of a 30-year career, that's the equivalent of 12 additional years of work compared to someone working a traditional 40-hour week.
That's 12 more years of overnight calls.
12 more years of interrupted sleep.
12 more years of missing birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and family milestones.
We don't do it for recognition; we do it because our community depends on us.
