Pasco County Fire Rescue rolls out new ‘D-shift’ with focus on wellness

HUDSON, Fla. — Firefighters in Pasco County are working on a new shift aimed at improving their mental health.

Pasco County Fire Rescue is implementing its new “D-shift.”

“Three years of work has been put into this plan, this project, and to see it finally happen is incredible,” said Dixon Phillips, president of the Pasco County Professional Firefighters Local 4420.

It’s the turning of a new page at Fire Rescue Station 3.

“D-shift is the culmination of an incredible commitment by both sides of the table, and this really does show what you’re capable of doing when labor and administration work together,” said Phillips.

The shift’s focus is on providing firefighters with an extra day of rest and time to recharge.

“Every third week we would work a Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday,” said Phillips. “So we’re gone from our families for 72 hours in that seven-day period of time. Back that up two or three years ago, when we were hitting an excessive amount of mandatory overtime, you go to work and you don’t know if you’re going to go home the next day.”

“So there were many times where we were working 96 hours, maybe even 120 hours in a seven-day period just based on the staffing.” he said.

Phillips said that traditionally, firefighters would work 24 hours and be off for 48. Now, with the D-shift, staff will work 24 hours and be off for 72.

“A lot of studies have gone into the fact that firefighters are getting cancer, firefighters are getting PTSD, firefighters are mentally and emotionally getting beat down and disrupting family and home lives as well,” said Chief Ryan Guynn of Pasco County Fire Rescue. “So, we took a look at it and figured, ‘What can we do?’”

The move puts PCFR among the first fire departments in Tampa Bay to adopt such a model.

“It’s a holistic approach to try to take care of our firefighters,” said Guynn. “To make them the best that they can be so that when they come to work every day, they’re giving their citizens 100%.”

It’s also putting the department on the map as a desirable place to work, with more than 100 new employees to help make the transition easier.

“We set the industry standard,” said Phillips. “Several years ago, we started our decontamination program. We’ve had departments from California, such as Sacramento, the state of Washington come here to Pasco County to see what we’re doing for cancer prevention for our members. Now you add the D-shift and everything else we have in place. We are absolutely the place to be — one of the premier departments in the State of Florida, no question.”

Helping raise the bar for fire rescue in the state.