Original Date: 05/08/1995
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In an effort to control rising costs, reduce the need for overtime and provide improved services, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)-St. Louis Fire Services has transitioned from a traditional 8-hour workshift to a 24-hour shift, patterned on the surrounding public fire service agencies.

A joint Fire Services team comprised of labor and management was tasked with benchmarking similar operations at Hughes Aircraft, Federal Express, and local public fire departments. Issues on compensation, labor accounting, and other topics were addressed by an intradepartmental team who determined that the payroll program changes to accommodate the twenty-four hour shift would include a one-time cost of $40K. Based on the data collected by the teams, it was decided to implement the twenty-four hour shift for Fire Services at an initial investment of $160K which included the cost for the physical enhancements of the firehouse facility as well as the costs associated with the reclassification of the fire fighters from FEP Hourly to Non-Exempt Salaried. Approval for the implementation was obtained from all pertinent management in about three months.

Instituted in October 1993, the return on investment was realized in just 14 weeks. Annual labor savings from overtime reduction amounted to $661K. Total annual cost savings/cost avoidances amounted to $1.38M. Other benefits included increased manpower coverage for less costs, improved service delivery, and improved morale.

By maintaining the same work shifts as the departments in the surrounding communities, MDA-St. Louis is now better able to coordinate training and emergency services as well as provide a consistent level of manpower around the clock.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.