Kelly Shift Schedule

How the Kelly schedule works

The Kelly schedule runs a 9-day cycle of 24-hour tours: work a tour, off a day, work a tour, off a day, work a tour, then four days off. Three platoons offset by three days keep the station staffed every day. Each platoon works three 24-hour tours across the nine days, and the four-day break at the end is the pattern’s signature feature.

Who uses the Kelly pattern

A common alternative to 24/48 in US fire departments and EMS agencies that prefer a longer recovery block within the cycle.

Treat the Kelly cycle as a full nine-day planning unit

The Kelly pattern combines several 24-hour tours with a four-day break, so a single seven-day view does not show the whole operational rhythm. Generate the complete nine-day cycle before deciding where training, leave, special events, or station work will fit. The relevant question is how the full block affects the platoon, not how one calendar week appears.

Set out the process for a tour handover and for relief when one platoon cannot staff a planned day. Long tours create a clear responsibility boundary, but the calendar alone does not say where open work, equipment status, or a coverage decision is recorded. Give each a named route.

Keep the reference date, platoon names, and approved exceptions on a dated master copy. That makes the base pattern understandable while still allowing the organisation to document the changes that real operations require.

Pattern comparison

If you are deciding between nearby options, compare the weekly hours, longest work run, and biggest off block before you standardise the rota.

A shorter longest work run usually feels safer and easier to recover from. A longer off block is better for commute-heavy or remote teams, but often comes with a tougher on block just before it.