Prior to the recent modification, this button provided access to the calendar view. However, the current functionality allows users to navigate through the month by swiping up or down. Swiping up will display the list view, while swiping down will reveal the full month view.
Prior to the recent modification, this button provided access to the calendar view. However, the current functionality allows users to navigate through the month by swiping up or down. Swiping up will display the list view, while swiping down will reveal the full month view.
Hey everyone,
Something I've been thinking about a lot: why doesn't a dedicated scheduling app exist for first responders?
Firefighters, cops, EMS, corrections officers — they all work rotations that no standard calendar app handles well. 24/48 cycles, overnight shifts that cross midnight, department-specific event types like "Court" or "Detail," and time off that tracks differently than a standard PTO system. Google Calendar and Apple Calendar just weren't built for this.
The core idea:
- Shift pattern engine — input your rotation once (24/48, 48/96, or any custom cycle) and have it auto-populate your schedule going forward
- Overnight shift handling — a shift from 08:00 to 04:00 the next morning should show up correctly on both calendar days, not just one
- Time off tracking — vacation, sick, personal days with real balance math, carryover, and linked categories (e.g. "Family Sick" draws from your Sick pool)
- Custom event types — let users rename built-in types to match their department's actual terminology
- Native calendar sync — push everything to the device's built-in calendar so it works with existing workflows
- Widgets — a glanceable home screen view showing today's shift and upcoming events
The more I've thought about it, the more it seems like a real gap. Most first responders I've talked to are either using paper schedules, a generic calendar they've hacked together manually, or nothing at all.
Would love to hear from anyone in fire, law enforcement, EMS, or corrections — what does your current scheduling setup look like? What's the biggest pain point?
Also curious if others see technical challenges here worth discussing — the overnight shift display logic and shift pattern deduplication are both interesting problems to solve.
Hey everyone,
Curious if this is just me or a wider thing — I've talked to a lot of firefighters, cops, and EMS folks who all say the same thing: every calendar app out there assumes you work 9-5, Monday through Friday. 24/48 rotations, overnight shifts that cross midnight, department-specific terms like "Detail" or "Court" — none of that fits cleanly into Google Calendar or Apple Calendar. You either hack it manually every week or just give up and use a paper schedule.
That frustration is what pushed me to build First Responders Cal, an iOS app built around how first responders actually schedule their lives.
A few things that set it apart:
- Shift patterns — set up your rotation once (24/48, 48/96, or any custom cycle) and the schedule fills in automatically going forward
- Overnight shifts — a shift from 08:00 to 04:00 the next morning displays correctly on both days, which sounds obvious but most apps break this
- Time off tracking — real balance math with vacation, sick, personal days, carryover, quarterly/yearly breakdowns, and category linking (so "Family Sick" draws from your Sick balance pool)
- Custom event types — rename built-in types to match your department's actual terminology, or build your own with custom icons and colors
- iOS Calendar sync — everything syncs to your device calendar automatically; nothing leaves your device or hits any external server
Also has home screen widgets, stat cards for quick glance info, and per-event-type notifications.
Would genuinely love feedback from anyone in fire, law enforcement, EMS, or corrections — especially if you've tried other apps and ran into the same walls. What's missing from what you've used?
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/first-responders-cal/id6755095424
Thanks 🙏