VIDEO: Austin firefighters, at a minimum, put in a 53-hour work week, 24 hours on, 48 hours off. Because of staffing issues, answering the growing number of calls requires an increasing rate of overtime. It’s a crisis, according to Bob Nicks of the Austin Firefighters Association, but it’s not about compensation.
"Yeah, they're getting paid, but it's taking a toll rather than the overtime. We need more time off. We need more time between shifts or more time, or we're not working extra duty, so we can think about these experiences, reconnect with our families, and go back to work rested and ready to go again. And that's really the crux of the problem," said Nicks. Austin firefighters, at a minimum, put in a 53-hour work week, 24 hours on, 48 hours off. Because of staffing issues, answering the growing number of calls requires an increasing rate of overtime.