Every 24-hour shift for firefighter-paramedic Nicole Morris gets harder for her to endure.
She's not sick or hurt. She's pregnant.
And according to the contract negotiated in 2016 between the International Association of Firefighters Local 2201 and the Indian River County Emergency Services District, she can't be assigned to light duty.
Morris, 35, has been employed by Indian River County Fire Rescue for longer than a decade, and is now nearly seven months pregnant with her second child. She has about 500 hours of paid time off saved up. Firefighters work a day, then get two days off, which totals about two months of paid leave. Morris wants to delay taking that as long as possible.