Frequent Consecutive 24-hr Shift Work and Exhaustion in Firefighters

Background and Objective: Many firefighters do additional 24-hr shifts of overtime beyond their standard 24-hr shifts (10 shifts per month; ON-OFF-ON-OFF-OFF-ON-OFF-OFF-OFF-OFF), which generally results in consecutive 24-hr shifts (i.e., 48-hr, 72-hr, and 96-hr of work). However, little is known about the impact of consecutive shifts on firefighter health. This study investigates whether consecutive 24-hr shifts are associated with exhaustion, a cardiovascular disease risk factor, in firefighters. Methods: 203 firefighters in a Southern California county participated in a pilot work and health web-survey. Among them, there were 152 male firefighters who did only 24-hr shifts at local fire stations who were eligible for analysis. The number of total shifts and consecutive shifts per month were self-reported and exhaustion was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: The number of 24-hr shifts worked per month by firefighters ranged from 9 to 22 (average, 13 shifts). The prevalence of “frequent” (2 or more times vs. 0 to 1 time per month) 48-hr, 72-hr, and 96-hr work was 49.4%, 21.5%, and 5.7%, respectively. In bivariate regression analysis, the total number of shifts per month (p = .08) and frequent 72-hr (p = .02) and 96-hr work (p = .14) were associated with exhaustion. Age, race, rank, education, and the number of calls per day did not affect the associations. Exhaustion was correlated with less exercise at fire stations, poor sleep quality at home, and more emotional eating. Conclusion: Frequent 72-hr work was strongly associated with exhaustion in firefighters on a 24-hr shift work schedule.