Guest guest Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Our agency does not allow us to do more than 12hrs in a row... we work a normal 8hr shift and if we have to stay over or come in early on a work day it is only for an add'l 4hrs. There have been extenuating circumstances where I have worked a 13.5hr shift... but that is rare and something frowned upon. Our management believes that 12hrs is the max and after that we would have diminished ability to do our jobs... and I personally agree. It would be different I think if we did not work five 8hr shifts... maybe if we worked four 10's or a 12hr rotation. Just my opinion as well. :-) Tonya in Oregon > From: hlj0124@... > Date: 2005/01/01 Sat AM 02:58:09 EST > To: 911console > Subject: Re: 911:: Happy New Year's > > > In a message dated 1/1/2005 1:12:33 AM Central Standard Time, > scrosby6@... writes: > my partner and I worked 24 out of the last 36 > hours. > wow, thats almost not safe..... 12 is about all I can do, before I start > seeing double. I refuse to work 16, well I guess the supervisor has to work > then.. I think 12 is all people should do really, its not good, not only for you, > but the safety of the officers.. > JUST MY OPINION > > in iowa > DCSO > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 We work 12 hour shifts, 32 hours one week and 44 hours the next. We were able to " avoid " , for lack of a better word, the FMLA due to the union that our dispatchers belong to, Police Officers Association of Michigan. We have been doing this for about 7 years now. There are good and bad to the 12 hour shifts. If you have a larger department and can work short when someone calls in it can be great. We have 2 dispatchers on at all times and when someone calls in it HAS to be filled. You can't force someone to stay for the entire shift, the best we can do is force the 2 that are working to split it, which means that they only get 6 hours off, sometimes working 18 hours. The time off is great, though and every other weekend is a 3 day weekend. I am curious how 12's work for larger departments though. Roscommon County (MI) Central Dispatch Re: 911:: shifts > > Jeff, > > How big is your organization? What formation are the consoles in? > What kind of burn out do you have? Do you all work 40 hours a week or > more. If you work more, are you sworn or how do you get around FMLA? > > Becky > > >>> jnoonan@... 1/1/2005 4:42:00 PM >>> > > We do 10 hour days and 14 hour nights , most of us. I really do not > find them bad at all. The benifit of the shift is that we have 2 4 day > off streches and one 6 day off strech a month. It is nice to have a mini > vacation once a month believe me. As for maintaining sharpness, i feel > just as sharpe through my shift no matter what time. I think that comes > from conditioning. I drove taxies for many years and it was not uncommon > to do 14-16 hour days just to make ends meet for my family. I really > believe it is how your room is set up and who you work with that makes > alot of it > > Jeff > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with what I am about to say, but that's ok. My opinion only!!!! 12 hour shifts does not belong in a communications department. Sure everyone loves every other week-end off, but the stress build up is just to dangerous for yourself and the officers that you work with on a daily basis. You may not feel it right now, but sooner or later it will catch up with you. Standard 8 hour shifts should be the norm in all centers. Subject: Re: 911:: shifts Vickie Rickett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 > Standard 8 hour shifts should be the norm in all centers.< Absolutely... and in the larger, busier centers... frequent breaks. Even in smaller centers, eight is enough. Weintraut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Breaks? What would that be???? lol Roscommon County (MI) Central Dispatch Re: 911:: shifts > > > Standard 8 hour shifts should be the norm in all > centers.< > > Absolutely... and in the larger, busier centers... frequent breaks. > > Even in smaller centers, eight is enough. > > Weintraut > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Agreed here..no on ein our center is scheduled more than 4-10 hour shifts, but often we have to work 12-16. I guess I shouldn't include myself right now as I'm on FMLA, but I really believe 8 hours is enough. Then again, I'm 56 and I can remember when I was younger working 12-16 was no big deal, but those jobs did not involve the stress that dispatch does. Lyn Re: 911:: shifts >> Standard 8 hour shifts should be the norm in all > centers.< > Absolutely... and in the larger, busier centers... frequent breaks. > Even in smaller centers, eight is enough. > > Weintraut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 We work 12 hour shifts, two days on and two days off. 7 to 7. there are four shifts with a minimum of 5 per shift. ususal is 6 to 7 per shift. one week is 36 hours the other is 48 with 8 hours ot each pay check. Overtime is getting harder and harder to cover. they are trying to implement mandatory ot. working 12 hours is a real pain. the stress levels are very high even in the younger CO's. I agree that 8's are best especially for a busy department. We did 42,000 rescue calls and that did not include the fire calls or just engine response type calls. Our county is growing so fast and the calls increase every year. so does the stress. Maureen > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 In a message dated 1/4/2005 2:20:15 PM Central Standard Time, charvick@... writes: My opinion only!!!! 12 hour shifts does not belong in a communications department. Sure everyone loves every other week-end off, but the stress build up is just to dangerous for yourself and the officers that you work with on a daily basis. You may not feel it right now, but sooner or later it will catch up with you. Standard 8 hour shifts should be the norm in all centers. Subject: Re: 911:: shifts Vickie Rickett I totally agree with you vickie. sooner or later it will catch up with you. jamie in iowa DCSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Back in my younger days - I was good in math - but I must be getting older - for the sake of me I can not figure this 32 & 44 hour weeks out of a 12hour shift. We work five 8hour shifts per pay week. Our off days are based on the shift being divided into three groups - every four weeks your off days rotate (sat/sun - mon/tue or mon/tue - wed/thu or wed/thu - sat/sun). When you rotate from wed/thu - sat/sun you can take a Personal Day on Friday and have a five day weekend. So basically every four weeks two of the three groups work a seven day stretch while one of the three groups is on a five day weekend. Our work week is Friday thru Thursday so the folks that are on their seven day stretch are working five of them in one payroll week while the other two are in a different payroll week. Forty hours a week - four 5day weekends per year. When you subtract those 4 Personal Days from your alloted 31 per year - you still have 27 Personal/Sick days left to take during the year. The supervisors on two of our shifts work 10/4. The 4 off days are wed/thu/fri/sat. Again our Payroll week runs Fri-Thu so 2 of those off days are one week and the other 2 are the next week. Still five 8hour days per pay week. Re: 911:: shifts We work 12 hour shifts, 32 hours one week and 44 hours the next. We were able to " avoid " , for lack of a better word, the FMLA due to the union that our dispatchers belong to, Police Officers Association of Michigan. We have been doing this for about 7 years now. There are good and bad to the 12 hour shifts. If you have a larger department and can work short when someone calls in it can be great. We have 2 dispatchers on at all times and when someone calls in it HAS to be filled. You can't force someone to stay for the entire shift, the best we can do is force the 2 that are working to split it, which means that they only get 6 hours off, sometimes working 18 hours. The time off is great, though and every other weekend is a 3 day weekend. I am curious how 12's work for larger departments though. Roscommon County (MI) Central Dispatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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