PLANO, Texas — A big change is coming to how firefighters work at one North Texas department.

The Plano City Council approved a new 24/72 shift schedule for Plano Fire-Rescue's (PFR) firefighters Tuesday night. Under the new contract, firefighters will work for 24 hours, followed by 72 hours off — a first-of-its-kind shift for a paid department in Texas.

But change comes slowly.

According to the new contract, the new shift won't go into effect until 2029. In the meantime, PFR will hire 22 additional firefighters annually for the next five years to account for the eventual change. Until the four-year mark of the new agreement, Plano firefighters will remain on their current 24/48 schedule.

For months, the Plano Firefighters Association has pushed for a change to the shift schedule. Th

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