With a continued emphasis on the high overtime costs in the fire department, town manager Gayle Corrigan presented a restructuring plan for the department that she says would reduce overtime by moving from a 42 hour workweek to a 56 hour workweek.
Currently the East Greenwich Fire Department runs on a four-platoon system where firefighters are on duty for an average of 42 hours each week. The schedule includes 10 hours on duty, followed by 14 hours off duty, followed by 10 hours on duty, then 25 hours off duty, 14 hours on duty and 96 hours off duty. Corrigan is proposing a schedule she said was one of the most common work schedules among paid fire departments in the country that would include 24 hours on duty, followed by 48 hours off duty, making a 56 hours work week for the firefighters.