A study published in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine explored sleep outcomes among firefighters in different shift configurations. Conducted by Jackson Miller, Lauren Whitehurst, Emily Watkins, and others, the study focused on three fire departments using 24/48, 48/96, and a four-Platoon system (4P), and included a control group of day-shift first responders.
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Firefighters completed the Emergency Service Sleep Diary and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quantity and quality. The results indicated that after adjusting for variations in nighttime emergency call volume, those on the 24/48 shift experienced less on-duty sleep compared to their counterparts on the 48/96 shift, while the 4P system showed similar patterns to the 24/48.
Furthermore, firefighters working the 24/48 shift had higher total PSQI scores, signifying poorer sleep quality relative to the other shift configurations. Overall, the study highlighted that many firefighters, irrespective of their shift patterns, did not achieve the recommended amount of sleep both on and off duty.