I can give you a full break down of a typical day or just summarize.

We start shift promptly at 0730. That means in uniform, gear on the truck (or at least out by the truck) by 0730. Every day the truck and equipment get checked. That means under the hood and everything behind all 7 roll up doors. IF it can be started, it is. All safety equipment is checked. That’s about 1 hour for the front line trucks. If we have spare trucks at the station they must be checked daily too.

My department is 4 stations with 5 companies (suppression apparatus and rescue/ambulance) and we run about 14000 calls per year. That’s 8–10 calls per day per crew. The average EMS call (from initial tones to ambulance in quarters) is about 1 hour. Fires, accidents, etc can be longer.

We also are required 2 hours (minimum) of training each shift. If we are doing our annual burn trainings, that can be 3–4 hours.

Yes we eat meals, but there are no “meal breaks”. We eat as close to normal time as we can, but we are always on the clock and, from experience, most good foods don’t reheat well 2–3 times.

We are also “strongly suggested” some type of physical activity per shift (work out). But due to Covid, only 1 in the gym at a time makes it a challenge for 5 to 6 different people to get in there.

First of the month is a complete drug inventory and equipment inventory on each and every apparatus. That can take several hours and is spread over the first 3 days. We sweep and mop daily, Mondays are “deep cleans” with mattress covers, shower curtains, etc cleaned.

Wednesday is airpack checklist day (in addition to daily) as well as inventory of EMS supply closet. Friday is detail truck check. Not just check fluids, but tilt cab to check hoses and belts, tire pressures, and bleed air tanks. This adds about an hour to the regular truck check. Fridays we scrub the garage floors and doors. Decobweb the walls too.

Then, according to SOG 200.11.09

“Weekly and Monthly Schedule 200.11.09

Monday Schedule:

.01 Complete daily schedule

.02 Complete assigned training and any specialized training or projects

.03 Perform preplans, area familiarization, check FD connection locations, visit new construction sites, perform driver training, flow hydrants, or test hose

.04 Weekly clean-up

.01 Kitchen/Dining Area:

.01 Clean & dust the top of all appliances and cabinets

.02 Clean (shift) refrigerator inside and out, throw away all spoiled/out of date food

.03 Clean stove/oven thoroughly inside and out

.04 Clean & wipe down all the cabinets, countertops, sinks and small appliances

.05 Clean & wipe down the table and chairs

.02 Offices, dayroom, reception/lobby, conference areas, and training/report rooms:

.01 Dust off the tops of all furniture and cabinets

.02 Clean & wipe down (fronts/sides) all furniture and cabinets

.03 Cloth recliners/chairs can be vacuumed/brushed off and leather recliners/chairs can be wiped down with a wet cloth and mild detergent if needed

.04 Clean & wipe down table and chairs

.03 Bunkroom/Sleeping Areas

.01 Dust off the tops and sides of all furniture, cabinets, and ¾ walls

.02 Clean & wipe down (fronts/sides) all furniture and cabinets

.03 Clean & vacuum under beds

.04 Wash & dry bedspreads and mattress covers

.04 Restroom/Shower Areas

.01 Clean & wipe down all fixtures, mirrors and cabinets

.02 Wash all shower curtains

.05 Exercise Room

.01 Clean & wipe down all gym equipment, drinking fountains and the mirrors

.02 Ensure all equipment has been stored in its proper place. Routine Daily Operations

.06 Logistics side of Station 11

.01 Empty the trash can in EMS Lab

.02 Clean & wipe down all cabinets, fixtures, and furnishing in EMS Lab

.03 Sweep and mop tile area in the hallway, break-room, and EMS Lab

.04 Logistics personnel will clean and vacuum their offices, empty their trash cans, keep the break-room and bathroom cleaned and wiped down

.07 Miscellaneous – Throughout the station

.01 Clean & wipe down/off all doors and hardware (handles/knobs)

.02 Clean & wipe down all TVs

.03 Clean & dust off all ceiling fans

.04 Clean & wipe off all hanging items (pictures, maps, etc.)

.05 Janitorial closet to be cleaned & all fixtures wiped down

.05 Third Monday of each Month

.01 Check station inventory

.01 Inventory Station Training Library

.02 Stove Hood:

.01 All stove hoods will be cleaned from top to bottom including the underside; the aluminum filter screen needs to be removed, cleaned and replaced back in the hood

.02 Station 11 hood system will need to be cleaned from top to bottom including the underside; the filter baffles need to be removed, cleaned and replaced back in the hood

.06 Third Monday of each quarter (January, April, July, October)

.01 Kitchen/Dining Area:

.01 All refrigerators and stove(s) – the floors under will be mopped, the walls behind will be cleaned and wiped down

.02 All refrigerator cooling coils and motor area will be vacuumed or brushed to remove dust/cobwebs

.02 Clean all station windows inside and out except for the bay doors

.01 Mini blinds should either be vacuumed or dusted

.02 When cleaning the outside of the windows you may need to wash off the heavy dirt first and for reach purposes you may want to use a flat-mop

I could go on and on with each day, but you get the point. We are the only department in the city that does its own cleaning. All of city hall has a third party cleaning service.

Everything except running calls is done within the first 12 hours. Other than occasional “night training”, after business hours, down time is ours. There is no “bed time” prior to 1730 (though with social distancing being in bunks has been a bit relaxed). If the sun is up, you are up.

This doesn’t include the paperwork etc, that must be done for every run as well as the officer’s daily reports and paperwork.