By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Virginia Beach City Council approved reducing firefighters’ average workweek from 56 hours to 48 hours.
- The council also authorized the Virginia Beach Fire Department to hire 63 full-time employees over the next fiscal year to support the new schedule.
- The department expects to implement the shorter workweek in September 2028.
- Fire Chief Kenneth Pravetz said firefighters currently average 56-hour weeks, with some working 72- or 96-hour weeks due to staffing shortages, and said the career-long time commitment exceeds that of the average city employee by roughly nine years.
- The change follows a broader trend among Virginia fire departments, including Norfolk’s adoption of a 42-hour workweek in July.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach City Council has approved reducing firefighters’ average workweek from 56 hours to 48 hours, a change city leaders say will improve firefighter health, recruitment and retention.
The council also authorized the Virginia Beach Fire Department to hire 63 full-time employees during the next fiscal year to support the new schedule, according to WAVY. The department expects to implement the change in September 2028.
Fire Chief Kenneth Pravetz said firefighters currently work an average of 56 hours a week, with some logging 72- or 96-hour weeks because of staffing shortages. Over the course of a career, Pravetz said, firefighters work the equivalent of nine years longer than the average city employee. “All of this work has eroded some of the health and wellbeing aspects of the profession,” Pravetz said. “If we can reduce the hours or reduce the exposure rates, it’ll just be good for the workforce, and it’ll be good for the community. We’ll have better engaged and refreshed firefighters.”
Pravetz said the shorter workweek will give firefighters more time to recover between shifts and spend with their families while improving on-duty performance. The additional staffing would also give the department a larger pool of firefighters available for recall during hurricanes, tornadoes and other major emergencies, he said.
The change follows a broader shift toward shorter workweeks among fire departments in Virginia and nationally. Norfolk adopted a 42-hour workweek for its firefighters in July, and Pravetz said the Virginia General Assembly has encouraged departments to explore similar changes. He said the department plans to hire aggressively over the next year to fill the positions needed for the transition.