Asheville Fire to begin four-shift schedule Saturday; department says aims to reduce weekly hours

Fire Chief Mike Pace told the Public Safety Committee the Asheville Fire Department will start implementation of a fourth shift (adding a D shift) beginning the coming Saturday. The change reduces standard line hours from 56 to about 52.6 per week under the initial implementation and is intended ultimately to move toward a 42-hour week when fully implemented.

"Starting Saturday, they'll have their own staffs, to be able to begin the implementation of this 4th shift," Pace said, explaining the department completed modeling and promoted supervisory positions needed for the change. He said base annual pay for firefighters will remain the same; with fewer hours, hourly rates will rise slightly while accrual rates for leave will adjust.

Pace described internal communications steps taken to address firefighter questions, including an open RFI tracker for staff questions, a dedicated email address for forced-shift queries, and data-driven modeling to test implementation scenarios. Council members praised the department’s planning and asked for ongoing communication as the phased roll-out continues.