NK Firefighters Launch Campaign Against 24-Hour Shift

After months of battling in court with the Town of North Kingstown, North Kingstown firefighters are taking a different approach in an effort to rescind the .

Local 1651 (the NK firefighters' union) is launching a town-wide, multi-pronged media campaign calling on the North Kingstown Town Council to repeal the 24-hour shifts. According to Fire Union President Ray Furtado, the campaign will target and educate North Kingstown residents on the fire department's new shift structure and its repercussions.

"We want the people of North Kingstown to know that this is beyond a labor issue. This is reality," said Furtado. "This is a dangerous situation in town. The firefighters are fatigued. They're working extended shifts and hours much longer than 24 hours."

According to Furtado, many firefighters have had to work more than 24 hours in a row due to understaffing. At times, he says, some firefighters have worked upwards of 72 consecutive hours. Furtado says the department has lost 22 people since 2007, dropping from 80 members to 58. Since mid March, the department has worked under the new shift structure.

"This has become a public safety issue because the department is not adequately staffed," said Furtado. "It's going to be unsustainable."

Furtado and Local 1651 have turned to Checkmate, a public relations firm based in East Greenwich, to help spread the word. The campaign will consist of a series of print and web ads, direct mailings, flyer drops and other grassroots activities. 

Furtado says the campaign is a "measure of last resort." The Town of North Kingstown and Local 1651 have been since the new shift structure was passed in January. 

The 24-hour shift was originally proposed by the town during last year's arbitration battle between the fire union and the Town of North Kingstown. The measure  with the arbitration board citing that North Kingstown's financial situation "does not mandate such a drastic change."

In January, the ) with a 3-2 vote. 

"What we want is to go back to our 10- and 14-hour shifts," said Furtado. "These 24-hour shifts, they're just unsafe."