One 24-hour duty day followed by two rest days. This is not a Kelly day adjustment: check your station policy.
Pick your platoon
Use a date from your department’s official calendar. ABC and ABCD are template assumptions, not department facts.
Add one confirmed shift to line up your calendar.
Worked platoon examples — January 2027
These are synthetic test fixtures in UTC, not an actual department roster. Confirm your anchor, order and handover with your department’s official calendar.
Expected starts, ends and Kelly dates from the approved example fixtures
Pattern
Platoon
Expected duty
24/48
A
1 Jan 00:00–2 Jan 00:00; next starts 4 Jan 00:00.
24/48
B
2 Jan 00:00–3 Jan 00:00; next starts 5 Jan 00:00.
24/48
C
3 Jan 00:00–4 Jan 00:00; next starts 6 Jan 00:00.
48/96
A
1 Jan 00:00–3 Jan 00:00; next starts 7 Jan 00:00.
48/96
B
3 Jan 00:00–5 Jan 00:00; next starts 9 Jan 00:00.
48/96
C
5 Jan 00:00–7 Jan 00:00; next starts 11 Jan 00:00.
24/48 + Kelly
A
Base starts 1, 4, 7, 10 Jan; 10 Jan tour is Kelly off; next duty 13 Jan; next Kelly 22 Jan.
24/48 + Kelly
B
Base starts 2, 5, 8, 11 Jan; 11 Jan tour is Kelly off; next duty 14 Jan; next Kelly 23 Jan.
24/48 + Kelly
C
Base starts 3, 6, 9, 12 Jan; 12 Jan tour is Kelly off; next duty 15 Jan; next Kelly 24 Jan.
2 days, 2 nights, 4 off
A
Days 1–2 Jan; nights start 3–4 Jan; last night ends 5 Jan 07:00; next day shift 9 Jan 07:00.
2 days, 2 nights, 4 off
B
Days 3–4 Jan; nights start 5–6 Jan; last night ends 7 Jan 07:00; next day shift 11 Jan 07:00.
2 days, 2 nights, 4 off
C
Days 5–6 Jan; nights start 7–8 Jan; last night ends 9 Jan 07:00; next day shift 13 Jan 07:00.
2 days, 2 nights, 4 off
D
Days 7–8 Jan; nights start 9–10 Jan; last night ends 11 Jan 07:00; next day shift 15 Jan 07:00.
For the 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off pattern, a duty day is counted on the local date a shift starts, including night shifts; the shift may continue into the next date.
Your year at a glance
Enter your confirmed first duty date; this calculation uses 1 duty day followed by 2 rest days. Calculations run in your browser.
Build the real calendar, not just the pattern.
24/48 firefighter schedule is illustrated by a 1-duty / 2-rest sequence. Choose its real anchor in the planner before comparing work blocks across 2027.
Whole-year view3-day cycle projected against 2027 dates.
Real-world changesMark exceptions to the 24/48 firefighter schedule duty/rest example.
Leave optimizationTest proposed leave beside a 2-day rest block.
24/48 firefighter schedule illustrative annual totals: 2027 annual example
Assumptions: first duty day 1 Jan 2027; 1 consecutive duty day followed by 2 consecutive rest days; no travel-day allocation, overrides or leave taken. A duty day is a calendar date marked by the repeating work/rest cycle, not a shift-hours calculation.
Month
Duty days
Rest days
January
11
20
February
9
19
March
10
21
April
10
20
May
11
20
June
10
20
July
10
21
August
10
21
September
10
20
October
11
20
November
10
20
December
10
21
2027 total
122
243
These counts change if the first duty date changes. Calculate your actual annual totals using the interactive planner.
Subscribe or compare rosters
The 24/48 firefighter schedule example starts with duty on 1 January 2027. Real shift changes, travel and approved leave can alter the dates.
Nationwide public holidays do not convert scheduled duty into time off. Regional holidays and employer rules may differ.
2027 pattern facts for 24/48 firefighter schedule
Using 1 Jan 2027 as the first duty date, this 1-on / 2-off illustration contains 243 rostered rest dates in 2027, with a longest uninterrupted rest stretch of 2 days inside the calendar year. That starting point is illustrative, not your employer’s published duty roster.
Across all 3 equally weighted possible starting phases, the entire 24–26 Dec Christmas period is free in 0 phases (0.0%); 31 Dec through 1 Jan is free in 1 phases (33.3%).
For illustrative summer-school intervals, the mean number of rostered rest dates is 28.0 of 42 dates for an Australian December–January example, 28.0 of 42 for a UK July–August example, and 41.3 of 62 for a US June–August example. These fixed windows are not official countrywide school calendars and do not include travel or approved leave.
Planning notes specific to 24/48 firefighter schedule
A 24/48 firefighter schedule normally describes one duty shift lasting twenty-four hours, followed by forty-eight hours away from regularly scheduled duty. On a date-level chart, that becomes one duty calendar date and two rest dates when the anchor marks the start of the 24-hour shift. Overnight work may touch more than one civil date, so the sample cannot replace a station-specific hourly roster.
A three-day repeating cycle moves through weekdays rather than staying aligned to conventional weekends. The first duty date determines whether a particular Saturday is marked on or off. Over the 365 dates of 2027, counts depend on whether the remainder after complete three-day cycles belongs to duty or rest. The annual table is useful for checking the overall cycle, but it does not calculate overtime or FLSA rules.
Kelly days, training, callback shifts, swaps and mandatory overtime differ by department. Enter those as explicit exceptions; never assume that one city’s Kelly schedule applies to another city. For family plans, compare actual released duty dates with a partner’s schedule, and label suggested vacation as a proposal until authorised by the station.
A newly hired firefighter may be told they are on a 24/48 rotation without knowing the start of their assigned platoon’s sequence. That missing anchor is enough to mislabel every following weekend. Verify one duty date on the official station calendar before generating a subscription. A shift swap for a single tour should usually be treated as an exception, not as a permanent shift of the repeating three-day cycle. Keep training and on-call obligations visible when comparing personal availability.
Frequently asked questions
How does 24/48 firefighter schedule repeat?
One 24-hour duty day followed by two rest days. This is not a Kelly day adjustment: check your station policy. Each projection depends on the verified first duty date.
How should I interpret the 24/48 firefighter schedule 2027 example?
The 24/48 firefighter schedule table describes calendar duty and rest dates. Use the exact confirmed shift start; exceptions, flights and hourly leave charging must be handled separately.
Can I plan time together using 24/48 firefighter schedule?
Yes. Begin with the 24/48 firefighter schedule cycle, then compare the other person’s individually anchored roster. Suggested leave dates are not approved absences.