VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Norfolk is moving forward with plans to hire a fourth shift of firefighters to reduce burnout — and a neighboring city is taking notice.
The city of Norfolk committed $1.8 million to create 34 new firefighter positions, aiming to reduce weekly working hours from 52 or more down to 42. The effort comes after concerns about the physical and mental toll of long shifts on firefighters.
"The number one cause of firefighter death is heart disease. So that comes directly from being burnt out," Norfolk firefighter union president Mark Old told News 3 earlier this month.
Norfolk Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Watson described the toll in similar terms.
"The mental and physical strain it puts on your body," Watson said, adding that reducing burnout would make the city safer.
Norfolk launched a lateral recruitment process — targeting already-certified firefighters from other communities — that wrapped up on July 17. A spokesperson for the department said a surprising amount of applications came in from across the region and the country. The first lateral academy is expected to begin in November.
Firefighters in neighboring Virginia Beach are watching closely.
Noel Garo is a battalion chief with the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Vice President of the IAFF Local 2924 union. He said Virginia Beach, like Norfolk, currently operates on three rotating shifts of firefighters working 24 hours at a time.
"Operating on a 56-hour work week," Garo said.
Staffing needs can push those hours even higher. When a firefighter has a day off between 24-hour shifts but is required to stay an extra 12 hours one day, there can be just 12 hours of recovery in a 72-hour period.
"It does create a high level of burnout," Garo said.
Earlier this year, Virginia's General Assembly passed legislation introduced by Virginia Beach Delegate Michael Feggans (D) encouraging communities to reduce firefighter weekly hours to 42. In April, Virginia Beach Fire Chief Ken Pravetz asked city council for funding to reduce hours from 56 to 48 as a first step.
"The ultimate goal is to get a fourth shift," Garo said.
Garo said he hopes Norfolk's progress will push Virginia Beach leadership to act.
"The hope is that the city of Virginia Beach will see the strides and changes that the city of Norfolk has made," Garo said.
He acknowledged, however, that Norfolk's move is already creating pressure in the job market.
"It is creating a level of competition in a very tight labor market to begin with," Garo said.
News 3 reached out to Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer to find out the chances of a fourth shift being funded in the near-future. We'll let you know when we hear back.
Chesapeake's fire department Capt. Steve Bradley said the following in response to an inquiry about any potential changes for that department:
"We commend Norfolk Fire-Rescue for taking a proactive approach to addressing firefighter wellness and staffing challenges. We'll certainly be watching with interest to see how their fourth-shift model is implemented and how it performs over time.
Currently, Chesapeake Fire Department is not pursuing the implementation of an additional shift. While nothing is ever completely off the table, we believe our current staffing model continues to effectively meet the operational needs of our department and the community we serve.
As with any significant change in the fire service, we continually evaluate best practices and monitor initiatives being implemented by other departments. If future conditions indicate that a different staffing model would better serve our personnel or our citizens, we would certainly be open to evaluating those options."
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