The Jefferson City Fire Department will try out the 48-hour shift schedule next year.
The Jefferson City Council unanimously approved amending the work agreement between the city and the fire department's union, Local 671, on Monday. The amendments authorize the union to begin a trial period of the 48.5-hour shift schedule in 2020.
Under the 48.5/96 shift, firefighters will work 48.5 hours and have 96 hours off during a six-day repeating cycle.
The firefighters currently work 24.25-hour shifts. They work three days in a five-day span before having four days off.
The one-year trial must begin between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2020.
After the one-year trial, Local 671 and city administration will decide whether to keep the 48.5/96 shift schedule or revert back to the current shift schedule.
The work agreement contains a two-year escape clause for either party to swap back to the 23.25-hour shift.
By swapping to the new shift schedule, union members and fire administration said previously, the fire department hopes to attract more firefighters, increase job retention and satisfaction, and improve firefighters' sleep schedule.
Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Schofield said firefighters will still have to follow the city's residency requirement, which states firefighters must live within a 25-mile radius and be within a 30-minute response time.
Schofield previously said the shift change would not cost the city more money and would not negatively impact the fire department's level of service.
The Fair Labor Standards Act allows firefighters to work longer periods than the traditional 40-hour work week.
Firefighters work an average of 56 hours a week, Schofield previously said, adding the work agreement "exempts them from overtime incurred from working their regularly scheduled shifts."
The number of training hours will not decrease under the 48.5/96 shift schedule, Schofield said. The fire department will have to be "creative" when scheduling those training hours though, he added.
The fire department responded to 4,837 calls for service in fiscal year 2018 - from Nov. 1, 2017, to Oct. 31, 2018 - according to the FY2018 Jefferson City audit.
Several fire departments and fire protection districts - including nearby Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District and Lake Ozark Fire Protection District - have already swapped to the 48-hour shift schedule.
Last month, Cole County Emergency Medical Services voted to continue using a 48-hour shift schedule after experimenting with it for a few months. It plans to have another vote later this year regarding whether to keep the shift schedule.
In other business Monday, the council approved using $75,000 from the city's unrestricted General Fund fund balance to purchase a snow plow.
Due to deterioration, city staff took a 2-ton, single-axle snow plow out of service last fall.
The city applied for a grant through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources but did not receive it, according to the proposed bill.
The City Council also heard a bill authorizing an agreement between the city and Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to provide operating assistance for the air traffic control tower at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
The Missouri Department of Transportation would reimburse the city up to 50 percent - or up to $50,000 - for locally-incurred expenses from the air traffic control tower operations, according to the agreement.