LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County Fire Rescue has become the first agency in central Florida to move its paramedics and EMTs to a 24-hour on, 72-hour off schedule, according to WFTV.
Approved during contract talks with IAFF Local 3990, the new roster trims the average workweek to 42 hours, WFTV reported. County officials and union leaders say the change will improve crews’ health, raise job satisfaction and strengthen recruitment and retention.
Lake County’s firefighters’ union drove the change, emphasizing benefits for both crews and the community.
| LISTEN: We’re not OK: The What Paramedics Want in 2025 report pulls no punches
Would a shift schedule change improve morale and recruitment in your department? What schedule do you favor? Let us know:
Trending
Union leaders warn up to 1,500 EMTs and paramedics may leave in 2026 as pay disparities with firefighters worsen staffing shortages and response times
A private ambulance driven by a relative ran a red light and crashed into another car, leaving an infant dead and the child’s mother hospitalized, police said
Lillian Bonsignore, the first former EMT to lead the FDNY, reflects on the department’s uneasy 1996 merger with EMS
Hall Ambulance EMTs used a new five-lead, AI-enabled ECG to confirm a heart attack in the field