Suffolk Fire Plans Cut to 48-Hour Workweek

Suffolk Fire & Rescue will phase in a reduced firefighter schedule while recruiting to fill vacancies and reduce overtime.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Nursing Jobs

Suffolk Fire Plans Cut to 48-Hour Workweek

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Suffolk Fire & Rescue announced a phased staffing plan to reduce operational firefighters' workweeks from 56 hours to 48 hours. Fire Chief Michael J. Barakey outlined the plan at the department's annual awards and recognition ceremony on Nov. 12.

Why it matters

The changes are intended to improve firefighters' work-life balance and help the department recruit and retain employees in Suffolk. Adding positions beyond current vacancies is what makes the shorter schedule possible.

Suffolk Fire & Rescue's operational firefighters currently work a three-platoon, 56-hour schedule, with a 48-hour interim target and a 42-hour four-platoon target. The department has not yet stated the staffing cost or the completion date for the later phases.

The players

Suffolk Fire & Rescue

The municipal fire and emergency medical service responsible for fire protection and paramedic care in the city of Suffolk, Virginia.

Michael J. Barakey

The fire chief of Suffolk Fire & Rescue, who outlined the staffing plan to the department.

The details

The first phase includes a citywide compensation study for firefighter and paramedic pay, and the department is recruiting firefighter recruits, certified firefighters, firefighter-paramedics and career paramedics. The city plans to add positions beyond those needed to fill current vacancies, which allows the move to a 48-hour workweek.

Nov. 12, 2026: Suffolk Fire & Rescue announces the phased staffing plan at its annual awards and recognition ceremony.

Market Landscape

Suffolk's plan sits within a broader shift among fire departments toward shorter firefighter workweeks as agencies compete to recruit and retain paramedics and firefighters. The four-platoon, 42-hour schedule the department is targeting would move it further from the traditional three-platoon, 56-hour model it currently uses.

Firefighters and paramedics who apply to Suffolk Fire & Rescue could work a 48-hour week during the interim phase rather than 56 hours. Residents should see no immediate change in service while recruiting and the compensation study proceed.

The takeaway

Reduced schedules are becoming a recruiting tool for emergency services, so pay and hours are likely to remain central to hiring decisions. Job seekers comparing fire and paramedic roles should weigh the proposed workweek alongside the outcome of the city's compensation study.