24-hour shift system for firefighters

The Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service will be the first in the UK to base its rota on a ‘24 hours on, 72 hours off’ cycle. The changes will begin at the Bedford and Luton stations from May, with other wholetime fire stations also changing over the rest of the year.

Firefighters will have a dedicated seven-hour rest period from midnight, during which they will only attend emergency calls. The new set-up is expected to mean significant financial savings for the service without any redundancies.

Chief fire officer Paul Fuller said: “The new shift system will result in notable benefits for the service and our workforce and meet the key requirement to maintain frontline service delivery standards. In other words, the public will notice no change when they dial 999.”