St. Johns County firefighters push for work-life balance

They’re the first to respond when disaster strikes — but now, St. Johns County firefighters say they’re the ones in crisis.

Growing call volumes and mandatory overtime are straining local fire crews. Many say they’re working long, grueling hours with little time to rest — and it’s starting to take a toll.

On Wednesday, the St. Johns County Firefighters Union is meeting with county officials to continue to push for a major change: a healthier work schedule.

This will be the second meeting between the two sides in the contract negotiation process.

Increasing strain

In a behind-the-scenes look, St. Johns County firefighters gave News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson an up-close view of what their day-to-day looks like.

From high-pressure drills in full gear to non-stop emergency calls, their shifts are anything but typical.

“We are being exposed more and more to things that most people don’t see for their entire life — and we are seeing it day in and day out,” said David Stevens, president of the St. Johns County Fire Union.

The calls keep coming — and so do the hours.

According to Battalion Chief Brian Mitzel, the county’s rapid growth is driving a sharp increase in emergency calls.

56-hour workweeks

Right now, most St. Johns County firefighters work 56 hours a week — often in back-to-back 24- or even 48-hour shifts.

“We’re one of the only industries that doesn’t have mandatory rest periods between shifts,”Stevens said.

And if no one volunteers for overtime? A computer system picks who stays.

“It’s frustrating all the way from the battalion chief that’s got to make the decision to tell somebody they are mandatory because they looked at every single option on the schedule and they can’t make it work, so they have to use the scheduling program,” Mitzel said. “Fortunately, we have a scheduling program that can manage that for us, so there’s never a personal piece to it. It’s a computer that says based on opportunities, you are the last person not to work mandatory days, you’ve been the furthest from that spot.”

A push for change

A new Florida law recently recommended that departments move to a 42-hour workweek. But right now, it’s just that — a recommendation.

St. Johns County’s fire union wants to make it the standard.

They argue the change would reduce fatigue, improve mental health and ultimately make emergency response safer, not just for firefighters, but for the community.

“Do you want a firefighter making life-or-death decisions after 48 hours with no sleep?” Stevens asked. “That affects your health, your mental wellness.”

‘The community’s catch-all’

Until something changes, local firefighters say they want the community to keep calling if they need them, and they will keep answering the call — but they need support to keep going.

We reached out to St. Johns County, and they responded:

“St. Johns County is in the preliminary stages of discussions with the St. Johns County Fire Union.”

This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.