ALEXANDRIA, VA — Morale and staffing are improving at the Alexandria Fire Department after the agency moved to a 49-hour workweek, Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr. told City Council on June 23.
The department adopted the schedule in October 2025, cutting average weekly hours from 56 to help with recruitment and retention, ALXnow reported.
The schedule uses a fourth shift and a “debit day” system. Firefighters work 42 hours a week, plus one extra day every 24 days, for an average of 49 hours.