HomeMy WebLinkAboutR&R 103.06 Revised 9/2025_Vacation
Beaumont Fire Department
Services
Beaumont Fire Department
RULES & REGULATIONS
103.06 – Vacation
Effective: 09/24/2025 Chief Earl White
Replaces Policy dated: 2/5/2016
Vacation scheduling - the achievement of scheduling parameters and targets, and the proper
documentation of vacation hours are the responsibility of the Deputy Chiefs. The Deputy Chiefs
will consider efficiency, effectiveness, and consistency in administration when managing leave
time.
1. General Considerations
1.1. Day - a day is dependent on the member’s shift assignment:
1.1.1. 8-hour shift: 8 hours = 1 day
1.1.2. 10-hour shift: 10 hours = 1 day
1.1.3. 12-hour shift: 12 hours = 1 day
1.1.4. 24-hour shift: 24 hours = 2 days
1.2. The use of vacation will be restricted to full shift or one-half (1/2) shift increments. One-
half shift increments will be taken at the beginning or end of the shift. Exceptions caused
by the use of Emergency Leave or insufficient vacation accrual can be made with the
approval of the Deputy Chief.
1.3. Vacations hours must be taken as originally scheduled unless approved and appropriately
documented by the Deputy Chief.
1.3.1. A request for vacation moves will not be considered approved until the member
has received a confirmation email from the Deputy Chief.
1.3.2. Each member should maintain a copy of their confirmation email(s) in the event
that there is a discrepancy.
1.3.3. Each member is responsible for keeping track of their scheduled vacation dates,
usage and exchanges, so that they report for work on time when they are scheduled
to be on-duty.
1.4. If a member is ill/injured at the beginning of or during their scheduled vacation, then they
would have the following options:
1.4.1. Take the vacation leave as originally scheduled, or
1.4.2. Request that the vacation leave be moved to later in the year. This is only allowed
if the rescheduled date(s) meet the applicable vacation targets detailed in this
policy.
1.5. Any vacation hours not used within a calendar year will be lost.
1.6. The Fire Chief must grant prior approval for exceptions that would exceed the scheduling
parameters and targets established, unless the exception has been specifically stated in
this policy.
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2. Field Operations Parameters, Targets, & Scheduling
2.1. Annual Vacation Scheduling Parameters & Targets
2.1.1. The vacation cycles:
Cycle Number of Number of Begins Ends
Number Days/Cycle Shifts/Cycle
@ 0800 hours
1 21 7 January 1 January 22
2 21 7 January 22 February 12
3 21 7 February 12 March 5/6
4 21 7 March 5/6 March 26/27
5 21 7 March 26/27 April 16/17
6 21 7 April 16/17 May 7/8
7 21 7 May 7/8 May 28/29
8 21 7 May 28/29 June 18/19
9 24 7 June 18/19 July 9/10
10 24 7 July 9/10 July 30/31
11 21 7 July 30/31 August 20/21
12 21 7 August 20/21 September 10/11
13 21 7 September 10/11 October 1/2
14 21 7 October 1/2 October 22/23
15* 23 or 24 7 or 8 October 22/23 November 14/15
16 24 8 November 14/15 December 8/9
17 24 8 December 8/9 January 1
*In Leap Years, all three shifts will have an eight (8) day cycle for cycle 8. During other years,
two shifts will have an eight (8) day cycle and one will have a seven (7) day cycle.
2.1.2. Minimum Targets for Full Cycle Scheduling
2.1.2.1. Full cycle scheduling will begin with a minimum number of guaranteed
vacation spots by rank:
2.1.2.1.1. Officers – 2 spots
2.1.2.1.2. Drivers – 2 spots
2.1.2.1.3. Firefighters – 3 spots
2.1.2.2. Minimum guaranteed vacation spots will be available while members
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make their 1 and 2 full cycle picks only.
2.1.2.3. The senior member in each rank will have the ability to choose any of the
st
17 cycles on their 1 cycle pick
2.1.3. Maximum Targets for Full Cycle Scheduling
2.1.3.1. The maximum number of members scheduled in each cycle during the 1st
and 2nd cycle picks will not exceed eight.
2.1.3.2. Exception: Nine members per cycle may be scheduled as indicated in the
table below (based on the total number of members assigned to the shift
who have more than 7 shifts of vacation accrued).
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Total Members Number of Cycles Approved to
Assigned to the Shift Schedule Nine (9) Members
67 1
68 1
69 2
70 4
71 6
72 8
73 10
2.1.4. Officer Scheduling Parameters
2.1.4.1. During the 1st and 2nd cycle picks, the following limiting factors exist:
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2.1.4.1.1. On the 1 cycle pick only, a District Chief cannot choose a cycle
already chosen by another District Chief.
2.1.4.1.2. The cycle that the Deputy Chief chooses as their 1st pick will be
limited to three Officers maximum.
2.1.4.1.3. The remaining sixteen cycles will be limited to two Officers
maximum.
2.1.4.2. If a shift is missing an Officer (due to retirement, transfer, reassignment,
etc.), then the Deputy Chief will choose and appropriately document a
“latest available” spot for the missing officer position after all other
officers of that rank have had their choices documented for that round of
selections.
2.1.5. Driver Scheduling Parameters
2.1.5.1. During the 1st and 2nd cycle picks:
2.1.5.1.1. No more than three Drivers will be scheduled in any cycle.
2.1.5.1.2. Once the maximum number of cycles approved for scheduling
three is reached, then the Deputy will continue by scheduling
two per cycle.
Driver/Operators Maximum # of Cycles Remaining # of
Assigned to the Approved to Schedule Cycles to Schedule
Shift 3 Driver/Operators 2 Driver/Operators
21 8 9
22 10 7
23 12 5
24 14 3
2.1.6. Firefighter Scheduling Parameters
2.1.6.1. Firefighter scheduling will fill in the rest of the available spots during the
1st and 2nd cycle picks, with the following limiting factors:
2.1.6.1.1. A maximum of nine members may be scheduled in the number
of cycles indicated by the chart in section 2.1.3.2.
2.1.6.1.2. Each cycle must have a minimum of 5 members scheduled.
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2.1.7. After completing the 1st and 2nd cycle selections for all members, but before
scheduling the remaining additional vacation days, the Deputy Chief will develop a
list of individual shifts that have not yet met a minimum of 5 members.
2.1.8. Additional Day Scheduling Parameters
2.1.8.1. Each shift must have at least five shifts of vacation scheduled.
2.1.8.2. Each shift must have no more than nine shifts of vacation scheduled.
2.1.8.3. Additional vacation days must be scheduled in full shift increments, unless
accruals are less than 24 hours. Accruals less than 24 hours must be
scheduled in a lump sum on a single date.
2.1.8.4. Dates with partial hours scheduled will count towards meeting minimum
and maximum scheduling targets.
2.1.8.5. A member entering the annual scheduling process late (due to shift
transfers, etc.) will be given “catch-up” picks to allow him/her to choose
available full cycles prior continuing with scheduling of additional
vacation days.
2.1.8.6. A member entering the process after it has been completed must choose
from dates that have not yet met relevant scheduling targets.
2.1.8.7. Chief Officers will not be scheduled on a date that would leave the shift
without at least one regular Chief Officer on-duty.
2.1.8.8. Maximum targets for Captains, Drivers and Firefighters may be lifted at
this time, as long as shift minimum and maximum targets are still
achieved.
2.1.8.9. When scheduling reaches a point where there is only one person left
eligible for a spot, then they will be automatically assigned the spot.
2.1.9. Parameters for Initial Requests to Move Scheduled Vacation
2.1.9.1. When the Deputy Chief completes the scheduling process, they will notify
their personnel that they have a 14-day window to email a request to move
no more than to two vacation shifts. The request must include the date(s)
that the member:
2.1.9.1.1. Would like their vacation to be moved to.
2.1.9.1.2. Will be giving back in return.
2.1.9.2. At this time, moves will adhere to yearly maintenance targets. (Minimum
of 4 and maximum of 9)
2.1.9.3. Requests must be received by the deadline given, and will be scheduled
based on seniority in rank.
2.2. Annual Vacation Scheduling Process
2.2.1. The target date to begin the scheduling process is October 1.
2.2.1.1. The Deputy Chief will email all members of their shift a notice
communicating the start date for the annual vacation scheduling process.
2.2.1.2. The Administrative Assistant (Payroll and Benefits) will provide the
Deputy Chiefs a report indicating the total estimated vacation accruals for
each member for the upcoming year.
2.2.1.3. Members that would like to take the latest available pick(s) should notify
their Deputy Chief by email.
2.2.2. The Deputy Chief will contact each member individually to select their vacation
choices.
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2.2.2.1. In each rank, selections will be made in seniority order, and follow these
steps:
2.2.2.1.1. Every Officer and Driver will be contacted to choose their first
vacation cycle pick from the cycles currently available.
2.2.2.1.2. Every Officer and Driver will then be contacted to choose their
second vacation cycle pick from the cycles currently available.
2.2.2.1.3. Every Firefighter will be contacted to choose their first vacation
cycle pick from the cycles currently available. (This can begin
once cycles begin to fill with the maximum number of Officers
and Drivers)
2.2.2.1.4. Every Firefighter will be contacted to choose their second
vacation cycle pick from the cycles currently available.
2.2.2.1.5. Members with additional vacation days available after the first
two cycle picks will be contacted to schedule these shifts.
2.2.2.2. If a member does not respond back with their cycle preference within 4
hours, the Deputy Chief will assign them the latest available cycle that
would be open to the member based on their rank and seniority.
2.2.2.3. Once the scheduling process is done:
2.2.2.3.1. The Deputy Chief will email their members a deadline for
submitting their two vacation move requests.
2.2.2.3.2. After the deadline has passed, the requests will be addressed in
seniority order.
2.2.2.4. The Deputy Chief will email a copy of the shift’s completed annual
vacation schedule to the Operations Section Chief and the Administrative
Assistant (Payroll and Benefits) no later than December 15th.
2.2.2.5. The Administrative Assistant (Payroll and Benefits) will ensure vacation
schedules are posted on the G: drive no later than January 1 each year.
2.2.2.6. No later than January 15 each year, the Administrative Assistant (Payroll
and Benefits) will ensure:
2.2.2.6.1. An audit is performed to ensure the forecasted vacation accruals
that were scheduled remain accurate as of December 31.
2.2.2.6.2. Communicate any discrepancies to applicable Deputy Chief to
be resolved.
2.3. Yearly Maintenance and Use
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2.3.1. Starting January 1, vacation move requests will be administered on a first-come,
first-served basis, regardless of rank or seniority.
2.3.2. Vacation move requests must be made by email, and should be submitted by 1800
hours on the shift prior to the move. Requests made after that deadline may be
denied due to being untimely.
2.3.3. The Deputy Chief is responsible for and will appropriately manage all requests for
vacation moves. The Deputy Chief will not approve:
2.3.3.1. Moves that would allow the number of regular Chief Officers scheduled to
be on-duty to drop below one.
2.3.3.2. Moves that would allow the minimum scheduled on vacation to drop
below four or allow the maximum of nine to be exceeded. Exceptions:
2.3.3.2.1. On a shift where overtime will be required, a member who
voluntarily requests to move vacation (wants to come in and
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work) may be approved even if scheduled vacation drops below
the minimum target of four
2.3.3.2.2. Thirty minutes before the shift’s tour of duty begins (0730
hours), or at any time during a shift, moves that will allow the
maximum of nine (9) to be exceeded may be approved if the on-
duty staffing does not drop below the formula \[Minimum
Staffing + 1\].
2.3.3.3. Moves that will knowingly increase overtime expense. Exception: Moves
associated with emergency leave may be granted with the approval of the
Deputy Chief.
2.3.4. There are times when the Deputy Chief may not approve partial shift vacation
requests. Examples may include, but are not limited to:
2.3.4.1. Short notice requests for the same shift where members are actively
engaged in providing emergency services and/or training and maintenance
activities have been scheduled.
2.3.4.2. Multiple partial requests within the same shift that create disruptive
movement between stations or units to cover the vacancies.
2.3.4.3. A member’s requests create an excessive number of partial dates, so that
all the other members face limited availability.
3. Communications Center Parameters, Targets & Scheduling
3.1. Annual vacation scheduling will be coordinated by the Communications Center District
Chief, who will consider efficiency, effectiveness, and consistency in administration
when managing leave time.
3.2. The scheduling targets to be achieved include:
3.2.1. Only one member from each of the crews working ten or twelve-hour shifts may be
on vacation or personal leave at a given time.
3.2.2. No more than 1/2 of a member’s total vacation hours will be scheduled on night
shifts (persons assigned to twelve-hour shifts).
3.2.3. Members will choose vacation in three- or four-day blocks. (Dependent on how
many shifts are in the block they choose. All shifts in a block are chosen)
3.2.4. The maximum number of members scheduled for each three- or four-day block for
vacation + personal leave by rank will be:
3.2.4.1. Ten-Hour Personnel: One District Chief OR Communications Coordinator,
and/or
3.2.4.2. Twelve-Hour Personnel: One Captain OR one Firefighter/EMT
3.2.5. The Communications Center District Chief may approve more than one member of
a ten or twelve-hour crew to be on vacation and/or personal leave at a given time
only if it is cost neutral to the tax payers.
3.2.5.1. To be considered for approval, the request must be emailed to the
Communications Center District Chief and the Communications
Coordinator at least thirty days prior to the date being requested.
3.2.5.2. The Communications Center District Chief may consider a request
received less than thirty days in advance only for emergency situations.
(Per the Emergency Leave/Funeral Leave policies)
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3.2.6. The Communications Center District Chief will notify the Administrative Assistant
(Payroll and Benefits) when overtime and/or upgrade costs are required due to
unscheduled vacation or personal leave, so that reimbursement can be arranged.
3.2.6.1. The person requesting unscheduled vacation or personal leave will be
responsible for these costs.
3.2.6.2. Reimbursements will be made via payroll deduction or by personal check
to the Purchasing Secretary.
3.2.6.3. Collected reimbursements will be posted to the appropriate reimbursement
account.
3.2.7. To justify any overages to the overtime budget, the Communications Center
District Chief will record the following information any time reimbursement for
unscheduled vacation or personal leave is required:
3.2.7.1. Name of the individual
3.2.7.2. Date of vacation or personal leave
3.2.7.3. Time (Day or Night shift)
3.2.7.4. Date reimbursement was paid
3.2.7.5. Dollar amount that was reimbursed
3.2.8. Beginning on the first Monday of November, the Communications Center District
Chief will initiate the following year’s vacation scheduling using the following
rotation (based on seniority in grade):
3.2.8.1. The Communications Center District Chief will choose one block.
3.2.8.2. The Communications Coordinator will choose one block.
3.2.8.3. The remaining Captains will choose one block each.
3.2.8.4. All Firefighters will choose one block each.
3.2.8.5. The rotation will continue until all vacation leave has been scheduled.
3.2.8.6. After the additional vacation days are scheduled, the Communications
Center District Chief may schedule personal leave days in available slots.
3.2.9. The Communications Center District Chief will forward a copy of the annual
vacation schedule to the Assistant Chief and Administrative Assistant (Payroll and
Benefits) no later than December 21 each year.
3.2.10. The Communications Center District Chief may approve vacation to be taken out
of cycle as long as the established targets can still be achieved.
3.2.11. The Communications Center District Chief will accommodate members who are
assigned to their shift mid-year due to promotions or bids as feasible within the
defined scheduling targets.
3.2.12. The Communications Center District Chief will provide sufficient oversight in
scheduling and monitoring vacation leave so that essential services are maintained
and additional personnel costs associated with vacation leave are minimized.
3.2.13. The Administrative Assistant (Payroll and Benefits) will ensure vacation
schedules are posted on the G: drive no later than January 1 each year.
3.2.14. No later than January 15 each year, the Assistant Chief will insure:
3.2.14.1. An audit of the total hours scheduled is performed to ensure the
forecasted vacation accruals that were scheduled remain accurate as of
December 31.
3.2.14.2. Any discrepancies are resolved.
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4. Non-Operations Sections Parameters, Targets & Scheduling
4.1. Planning Section, Investigations, & Logistics Scheduling
4.1.1. Vacation scheduling is the responsibility of the respective Chief, who will consider
efficiency, effectiveness, and consistency in administration when managing leave
time.
4.1.2. The scheduling targets to be achieved include:
4.1.2.1. Vacations will be scheduled so that the services routinely provided by the
section/branch will be professionally maintained during normal business
hours. (i.e. Planning – 1 Inspector on-duty, Investigations - 1
Officer/Investigator on-duty)
4.1.2.2. Any stand-by assignments must be covered.
4.1.2.3. Vacation will be scheduled in one-week blocks.
4.1.2.4. The members assigned to the Supply Group may not be scheduled for
vacation at the same time.
4.1.2.5. The maximum number scheduled for each vacation block will be:
4.1.2.5.1. Planning Section
4.1.2.5.1.1. One Deputy
4.1.2.5.1.2. Inspection Group
4.1.2.5.1.2.1. One Captain or Driver
4.1.2.5.1.2.2. One Firefighter
4.1.2.5.1.3. Certification & Training Group
4.1.2.5.1.3.1. One Captain OR
4.1.2.5.1.3.2. One Driver
4.1.2.5.2. Investigations
4.1.2.5.2.1. Two Personnel
4.1.2.5.3. Logistics
4.1.2.5.3.1. One Deputy
4.1.2.5.3.2. Supply & Ground Support Group
4.1.2.5.3.2.1. One Captain OR
4.1.2.5.3.2.2. One Driver OR
4.1.2.5.3.2.3. One Firefighter
4.1.3. Beginning on the first Monday of November, the respective Chief will begin
vacation scheduling using the following rotation (based on seniority in grade):
4.1.3.1. The Deputy Chief will choose 1 one-week block.
4.1.3.2. The District Chief will choose 1 one-week block.
4.1.3.3. All Captains will choose 1 one-week block each.
4.1.3.4. All Drivers will choose 1 one-week block each.
4.1.3.5. All Firefighters will choose1one-week block each.
4.1.3.6. The rotation will continue until all vacation leave has been scheduled.
4.1.3.7. After any additional vacation days have been scheduled, the respective
Chief may schedule personal leave days in available slots.
4.1.4. The respective Chief will forward a copy of the annual vacation schedule to the
Administrative Assistant (Payroll and Benefits) no later than December 21 each
year.
4.1.5. The respective Chief may approve vacation to be taken out of cycle as long as the
established targets can still be achieved.
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4.1.6. The respective Chief will accommodate members who are assigned mid-year due
to promotions or bids as feasible within the defined scheduling targets.
4.1.7. The respective Chief will provide sufficient oversight in scheduling and monitoring
vacation leave so that essential services are professionally maintained and
additional personnel costs associated with vacation leave are minimized.
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