0338 Consolidated Work Schedule: The Impact on Firefighters’ Sleep and Health

Abstract Introduction Career fire departments in the US typically operate on a variety of 24-hour shift schedules, the most common being 24-hours-on and 48-hours-off (24/48). Recently, more departments have expressed interest in consolidated work schedules, specifically the 48-hours-on and 96-hours-off (48/96), to attract new recruitments, reduce commute frequencies, and improve firefighter morale. While some firefighters may be able to rest when not otherwise responding to emergencies and other tasks, it is uncertain how consolidated work schedules impact sleep and health. Therefore, the objective of this research is to assess sleep and health outcomes before and after firefighters transitioned to a consolidated work schedule. Methods A Southcentral US fire department (n=24) participated in this longitudinal study. Baseline assessment was conducted while firefighters operated on the 24/48 and post assessment was conducted six months after transitioning to the 48/96. Total sleep time (TST) was assessed for 18-days each round using wrist actigraphy and the Emergency Services Sleep Diary. At the beginning of each round, participants completed a questionnaire that included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Invitatory (BAI), and Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF). Results The results of paired t-tests indicated statistically significance difference means for ISI scores t(23) = 2.83,p 0.01 and BDI-II scores t(23) = 4.49,p 0.001, suggesting insomnia and depression scores improved during the 48/96. Mean ISI scores before and after shift schedule transition are 7.4(4.2) and 5.5(3.5), respectively. The mean BDI-II scores before and after are 5.3(4.8) and 3.3(4.4). No statistically significant differences were found in TST, BAI, and MAF scores. Conclusion Firefighters reported an improvement in insomnia and depression six months after transitioning to the 48/96 consolidated work schedule. Since sleep, anxiety, and fatigue were not statistically different, the results suggest that the 48/96 may provide firefighters an opportunity to develop a more consistent sleep pattern due to fewer early awakenings to commute to work. However, further research is needed to continue assessing these relationships along with exploring how differences in workload (e.g., emergency calls) may influence these outcomes. Support (if any) The development of the research reported herein was supported by FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety Grant, EMW-2022-FP-00464.