Our Initiatives

Mandatory Overtime

Fire fighters are humans. They work a physically and mentally taxing job that requires recovery prior to their next shift. But when fire fighters are repeatedly forced to stay to cover shifts, they aren't adequately recharged and ready to provide excellence in public safety to their residents.

Putting a safe number of fire fighters on the street isn't just about how many fire fighters respond to each house fire. It's also about ensuring that every fire fighter is at the top of their game so they can keep their residents safe. We encourage local governments to limit the use of mandatory overtime and restore the number of fire fighters in their towns to a safe level.

Fire fighters raise their right hands and take their oaths knowing that each shift means that they could be away from home from 24 to 48 hours. What they didn't anticipate was that departments across the country would decide to work these fire fighters into the ground through mandatory overtime rather than put the appropriate amount of fire fighters on the street.