Home / 48/96 vs 24/48
48/96 vs 24/48 schedule
Same hours (about 56 a week, 2,920 a year) and the same three platoons. The 48/96 joins two shifts into a 48-hour stretch and gives four days off in a row, so there are half as many commutes. The 24/48 keeps each stretch at 24 hours, which many find easier to recover from.
Side by side
| 48/96 | 24/48 | |
|---|---|---|
| Shift length | 24 h | 24 h |
| Cycle | 6 days | 3 days |
| Crews for 24/7 | 3 | 3 |
| Shifts a year | 121.7 | 121.7 |
| Hours a week | 56 | 56 |
| Hours a year | 2,920 | 2,920 |
| Most shifts in a row | 2 | 1 |
| Longest break | 4 days | 2 days |
| Full weekends off in 2027* | 25 | 18 |
*For one crew, with the cycle starting on Monday, January 4, 2027. Other crews and start days get a different count.
Both cycles, day by day
48/96
24/48
Which one suits you
Both use three platoons and the same 56-hour average week, and both put 9 or 10 shifts into any 28-day 7(k) work period, so overtime and pay are about the same.
The 48/96 halves the trips to the station: about 61 commutes a year instead of about 122. That matters most for firefighters who live an hour or more away. You also get four days off in a row every six days.
The 24/48 keeps each stretch at 24 hours, so a bad night is followed by two days off rather than another 24 hours on duty. Swaps are easier too, because a colleague covers one shift, not two.
How to choose
Put both patterns side by side in the calendar with your own start date: weekends off, holidays worked and pay depend on where your crew sits in the cycle, not only on the pattern. Then compare yearly pay at your hourly rate in the shift pay calculator, which applies federal and state overtime.
Questions
Is the 48/96 or the 24/48 schedule better?
Same hours (about 56 a week, 2,920 a year) and the same three platoons. The 48/96 joins two shifts into a 48-hour stretch and gives four days off in a row, so there are half as many commutes. The 24/48 keeps each stretch at 24 hours, which many find easier to recover from.
Which has more days off, 48/96 or 24/48?
4 days off every 6 days on the 48/96 and 2 every 3 on the 24/48. Hours a week: 56 and 56.