Polk County Fire Rescue to approve new Delta shift schedule to reduce hours, overtime

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - Polk County Fire Rescue and its union reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to launch a new scheduling shift designed to improve work-life balance for local firefighters.

Polk County union agreement

What we know:

Polk County Fire Rescue and the local firefighters' union agreed Tuesday to implement a fourth work shift called the Delta shift. This change will transition firefighters from a 56-hour workweek to a 42-hour workweek.

The traditional schedule of 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off will change to 24 hours on and 72 hours off. Union leaders say they have spent five years working toward this scheduling change.

The department is utilizing 75 new positions awarded in 2024 and an additional 50 positions funded by a SAFER grant to support the shift. Fire officials say the department will remain fully staffed at all times.

Delta shift schedule

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet announced the specific start date for the transition in October 2027. 

Florida firefighter recruitment

What they're saying:

Fire Chief Shawn Smith said the new shift focuses on mental health and work-life balance.

"It really allows our firefighters—for their mental well-being and their work-life balance—to spend time with friends and family and be able to decompress a little bit from our shifts," Smith said. "This is a 25-to-30-year career, and a lot stacks up during that time."

Smith noted the fourth shift will help address overtime issues from two years ago and help keep firefighters at the department.

"Retention will be very beneficial, just being able to keep them here where we're putting their well-being and their families at the forefront," Smith said. "You want to be at a place where you feel valued."

Jon Hall, president of the Polk County Professional Firefighters, expressed the relief felt by local crews.

"For the first responders working out on the trucks, ever since this announcement came out, there has been a huge sigh of relief and a weight lifted off people's shoulders," Hall said. "Morale immediately goes up when you learn you're about to get such a great benefit that you've been dreaming about for a long time."

Only a handful of fire departments in Florida have adopted a D shift schedule.

Polk County