Shift pattern comparison
Kelly schedule vs 48/96
Kelly schedule runs a 9 day cycle: 3 shifts of 24 hours, then 6 days off. 48/96 runs 6 days: 2 shifts of 24 hours, then 4 days off.
Every number below is calendar math on real dates, averaged over every phase of each cycle, because where a crew starts changes the answer. Nothing here is estimated and nothing is hand counted.
The numbers, side by side
| Metric | Kelly schedule | 48/96 |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle length | 9 days | 6 days |
| Shift length | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Hours a week | 56 hours | 56 hours |
| Crews for 24/7 cover | 3 | 3 |
| Days worked a year | 121.8 | 121.8 |
| Full weekends off a year | 11.7 | 17.4 |
Year by year
Days worked and full weekends off for each year on the site, averaged across every phase of the cycle. Each row links both calendars.
| Metric | Kelly schedule | 48/96 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kelly schedule 2026 Days worked a year: 121.7 · Full weekends off a year: 11.6 | 48/96 2026 Days worked a year: 121.7 · Full weekends off a year: 17.3 |
| 2027 | Kelly schedule 2027 Days worked a year: 121.7 · Full weekends off a year: 11.6 | 48/96 2027 Days worked a year: 121.7 · Full weekends off a year: 17.3 |
| 2028 | Kelly schedule 2028 Days worked a year: 122 · Full weekends off a year: 11.8 | 48/96 2028 Days worked a year: 122 · Full weekends off a year: 17.7 |
Who each one suits
Kelly schedule
Suits firefighters who want four days off in a row every nine days and can sleep at the station. The 24 hour tour is the hard part for anyone who cannot.
48/96
Suits crews who want four clear days after two tours. Forty eight hours straight at the station is a lot to ask of anyone who does not sleep well there.
Both work about the same number of days a year. 48/96 keeps 5.7 more full weekends off a year. The hours a week match. Past that it is preference: how long a block you want, where the days off fall, and what your site actually rosters. The math does not pick a winner.
A perfect rotation fits in a calendar file. A real roster does not.
Swaps, overtime, and holiday cover break the pattern. Reading a real roster is what the Lumical app does: photograph it and every shift lands in your calendar, overnights included. We make it, so weigh the recommendation accordingly.