Chair and Members of the Committee, Thank you for the opportunity to send comments to support of House Bill 1333. I offer these comments from the perspective of a fire chief responsible for maintaining public safety while managing limited resources and a demanding workforce. The typical fire department schedule is killing our employees, it is reducing interest in the profession, and lack of recovery time is leading to mental health challenges. Reducing the number of hours worked by firefighters directly improves safety—both for the public and for the firefighters themselves. Firefighting is physically and mentally demanding work. Extended shifts and excessive hours contribute to fatigue, slower reaction times, increased injury rates, and long-term health issues. By reducing hours, HB 1333 helps ensure that firefighters are rested, alert, and able to perform at the highest level when responding to emergencies. A healthier workforce also reduces burnout and turnover, which strengthens continuity, experience, and service quality across our departments. While schedule adjustments require careful planning, reducing excessive hours can generate meaningful cost savings. Lower overtime expenditures, fewer workers’ compensation claims, reduced injury-related leave, and improved retention all translate into long-term financial benefits. These savings can be redirected to help fund the transition to more sustainable schedules, invest in training, and support recruitment efforts. HB 1333 promotes a model that is fiscally responsible while protecting the local government & the Commonwealth’s investment in its first responders. Over the length of a 25 year career firefighters will work the equivalent of nine additional years of service for the same pension benefits. Firefighters often earn a reduced hourly rate because they work more hours per pay period. Most of Virginia’s workforce operates on an average 40-hour workweek. Firefighters routinely work far beyond that standard, often exceeding 56 hours per week as a baseline. HB 1333 addresses this disparity and moves fire service scheduling closer to the norms applied to other public employees. Providing greater parity is not only a matter of fairness, but also one of workforce competitiveness. To continue attracting and retaining qualified firefighters, we must offer working conditions that reflect modern employment standards. HB 1333 supports safer operations, smarter use of public funds, and fair treatment of firefighters who serve their communities every day. I respectfully urge the committee to advance this legislation and recognize the long-term benefits it provides to public safety, fiscal stewardship, and workforce equity across the Commonwealth. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, Fire Chief Kenneth Pravetz

Comments Document

I am writing in strong support of HB 1333. I have served for over 23 years as a firefighter and paramedic in Arlington County, and I currently reside in Springfield, Virginia. I am also a member of IAFF Local 2800 and am submitting this testimony in my personal capacity. I currently work a 24-hour shift schedule (24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, followed by four days off, with a Kelly day approximately every ten days). While this schedule is common in the fire service, it is also common for firefighters to be held over beyond scheduled shifts due to call volume, delayed relief, or staffing shortages. These additional hours are often unpredictable and occur at the end of already demanding shifts. Fatigue is not just uncomfortable — it directly affects public safety. In my experience, fatigue contributes to reduced reaction time, impaired judgment, and diminished situational awareness. These factors affect critical tasks such as emergency driving, patient care, and on-scene decision-making. Even when no single dramatic incident occurs, the cognitive and physical effects of fatigue accumulate and increase the risk of errors and injuries. Fatigue also increases the likelihood of physical injury. Firefighters routinely lift patients, operate in hazardous environments, and work on roadways under stressful conditions. When combined with extended hours and insufficient recovery time, fatigue raises the risk of strains, falls, and other preventable injuries that remove experienced responders from the workforce. HB 1333 takes an appropriate and balanced approach by directing the Department of Fire Programs to encourage schedules that reduce excessive hours and fatigue, while preserving flexibility for overtime calculations and operational needs. Many departments are already exploring improved schedules through collective bargaining or pilot programs, but statewide policy guidance would provide important support for safer, more sustainable staffing practices across the Commonwealth. Encouraging healthier schedules is not only about protecting firefighters — it is about ensuring that the public receives emergency response from professionals who are alert, capable, and able to perform at their highest level when lives are on the line. For additional context on this bill and related firefighter safety priorities, I have attached a one-page policy brief for your reference. I respectfully ask the committee to report HB 1333 favorably and allow it to advance.