Mandatory OT Policy and Procedure
Career firefighter/paramedic here looking for advice from other union or fire service members.
Recently I was told I could not go home after my scheduled 24-hour shift due to staffing shortages and was informed I would be held over into additional hours. With the way our schedule works this puts member into a 72 hour shift. We frequently do long distance transfers that typically take in excess of 4 hours. It’s not uncommon for members to do 2-4 long distance transfers a shift while still covering 911 calls and fire calls.
The bigger concern for me is that there appears to be no clearly written mandatory overtime policy, no clearly defined fatigue safeguards, and inconsistent past practice regarding when mandates happen and when they don’t.
Our contract language only references the “desire” to maintain a certain staffing level, but members are now being told they can face discipline or termination if they leave when staffing drops below that number. Supervisors themselves admitted they were not entirely sure what written authority existed, but still referenced insubordination if someone refused.
What’s also concerning is that historically staffing has started below that number before without mandates happening at all. Some members say they’ve been “forced” before, while others later get told they “technically volunteered.” Younger members especially seem genuinely confused about the difference between voluntary OT and mandatory OT.
There’s also growing frustration because mandatory training already cuts into members’ days off throughout the year for straight time pay, and now mandatory holdovers may occur with essentially zero notice.
Staffing is worsening due to injuries, retirements, leave, etc. and many members work second jobs or have family obligations outside the department. My concern is less about me personally being mandated one time and more about the slippery slope of vague language and discretionary authority eventually turning into routine forced overtime without clear policy or safeguards.
For those in union departments:
Do you have written mandatory OT policies?
Are there fatigue limits?
How is mandatory vs voluntary OT clearly defined?
Does your union support management threatening discipline under vague staffing language?
How do departments balance staffing needs without destroying morale and retention?
Trying to get perspective from others in the fire service because this feels like something that can become a much bigger issue very quickly if not addressed properly.