Shifts & rosters
As a trainee firefighter you will be deemed to be engaged on Black Watch with hours of work: 0800 to 1730, Monday to Friday. Remedial instruction may be required outside these hours in the case of a trainee who is not meeting the required standard.
The Fire Service also operates two, day-only rosters known as black and yellow watch. There is the potential for new recruits to be placed on yellow watch, where it operates in some Fire Regions. This is a day manning shift where staff work 4 weekdays, from 0700 to 1730, with the weekend and 1 weekday rostered off.
14 consecutive days leave within every 160 days, rostered on a structured basis. Such leave covers annual leave and days in lieu for work undertaken on a public holiday.
Day Shift: 10 hours commencing 0800 hours and finishing at 1800 hours.
Night Shift: 14 hours commencing at 1800 hours and finishing at 0800 hours the following day.
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Shift work and lifestyle implications
Information for Firefighter Recruits on the implications of commencing a shift work career
You are considering applying for a role as a Recruit Firefighter. You will have a number of considerations, some positive and some negative. While your considerations may be similar to others also considering firefighting as a career they will not be the same. One consideration you may have overlooked is:
“How will shift work effect my life?”
More than 98% of all firefighter positions are on rotating shift, covering 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s almost certain that a considerable part of your Fire Service career will involve shift work, and if you have not worked a shift cycle before this should be a major consideration for you.
Social Implications
There are some obvious family and social implications in being a career Firefighter:
- being rostered to work on public holidays while others are with their family,
- being rostered to work Friday and Saturday nights when your friends are socialising,
- being rostered to work Saturdays when your sports team is playing.
On the bonus side most career Firefighters soon develop a strong social network with their peers and pursue leisure activities during more conventional hours of work.
Health Implications
The human body functions in a fluctuating twenty-four hour cycle, sometimes having higher energy outputs, sometimes in more restful phases. These are known as the circadian rhythm.
Those who work during the day and rest at night have their natural circadian rhythms and actual work / rest cycle in sync. However, those who work shift cycles have their circadian rhythm out of sync with their actual work and rest cycle.
Most people who undertake shift work find their body adjusts to the demands of the cycle. You may find that initially you have trouble sleeping or that you are more weary and irritable than you expected. This should pass. Some people’s bodies are just not adaptable to shift work and find they constantly suffer from chronic fatigue as a result of their shift work.