Frisco to study alternatives to firefighters’ 24/48 schedule

Frisco’s recently approved budget includes $112,500 for a shift rotation research study for the Frisco Fire Department. 

The Frisco Fire Department currently operates on a 24-hour-on, 48-hour-off shift schedule. 

Frisco City Council formally adopted its budget and tax rate during a Sept. 15 meeting. Within the $66.5 million allocated to the fire department, Frisco will fund a study to examine the department’s current firefighter shift schedule and potential alternatives. 

The details

The funding is for research and analysis, rather than an immediate change to the fire department’s schedule. Any potential changes to the department’s rotation would come after the study is completed and the City Council votes. 

During the meeting, Frisco City Manager Wes Pierson said a shift schedule change study would be “absolutely requisite.” 

According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, transitioning from a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off shift schedule was associated with improvements in select health outcomes and firefighter sleep, which was found to improve work-life balance and reduce cognitive stress. 

Zooming out

Also included in Frisco’s budget is $420,438 for a refresh of the city’s Fire Safety Town, an interactive educational village operated by the Frisco Fire Department’s community education division.

In September 2025, Plano became the first city in Texas to implement a 24-hours-on, 72-hours-off firefighter schedule. The Denton Fire Department followed shortly after, changing its schedule to a 4-hours-on, 96-hours-off schedule, as other departments statewide consider shift schedule changes.