What is a 24 72 schedule?

A 24/72 schedule is a rotation where you work one 24-hour shift, then have 72 hours off. In calendar terms, that means one workday followed by three off days, repeating every four days.

How many shifts do you work in a month on 24 72?

Usually seven or eight 24-hour shifts per month, because the pattern repeats every four days. The exact count changes by month and start date.

Does the 24 72 schedule repeat on the same weekdays?

No. A 24/72 schedule repeats every four days, while the week is seven days. Your work shifts drift across weekdays instead of landing on the same weekday every week.

Can I set up a 24 72 schedule in Google Calendar?

Yes. Create one 24-hour shift event, set a custom recurrence to repeat every four days, and color it clearly. Edit individual events for trades or overtime instead of changing the whole series.

24/72 Firefighter Schedule Calendar: Build, Print, and Export It

Quick answer: a 24/72 firefighter schedule is one 24-hour shift followed by 72 hours off. To build it in a calendar, create one shift event on your next confirmed workday, set it to repeat every 4 days, then edit individual occurrences for swaps, overtime, Kelly days, or callbacks.

This rotation is simple, but it is not weekly. That is why it is easy to misread if you keep trying to remember it in your head.

Last reviewed on June 4, 2026.

How the 24/72 rotation works

The 24/72 schedule is a four-day cycle:

Day	Status
Day 1	Work 24 hours
Day 2	Off
Day 3	Off
Day 4	Off
Day 5	Work 24 hours again

The exact start time depends on your department. Some crews change over at 7 a.m., some at 8 a.m., and some use another relief time. The calendar setup should match your actual report and relief time, not a generic midnight-to-midnight block unless that is how you personally want to see it.

Across a long cycle, the math averages close to 42 hours per week: 24 hours worked every four days. Department policy, overtime, trades, callbacks, debit days, Kelly days, and local labor rules can change the real workload, so treat the calendar pattern as the base rotation, not a payroll authority.

For broader rotation examples, use the main firefighter schedule calendar guide as the hub.

Why 24/72 drifts across weekdays

The schedule repeats every four days. A week repeats every seven days. Those numbers do not line up.

That means your shift does not stay on the same weekday. If your next shift is Monday, the following one is Friday, then Tuesday, then Saturday, and so on. The rotation is predictable, but the weekday changes constantly.

This is the reason a real calendar matters. Human memory thinks in “every Monday” or “every other Saturday.” A 24/72 schedule is “every fourth day from this exact start date.”

Build a 24/72 schedule in Google Calendar

Open Google Calendar on a computer.
Go to your next confirmed shift day.
Create a new event named something clear, such as “24/72 Shift” or “A Shift”.
Set the start and end time to match your actual shift.
Open recurrence settings.
Choose a custom repeat pattern.
Set it to repeat every 4 days.
Choose an end date if you want a clean annual calendar, or leave it ongoing.
Save the event series.
Give the calendar or event a strong color.

If your department changes rotations annually, cap the recurrence at the end of the year. That makes cleanup easier than editing an endless series later.

Build it in Apple Calendar or Outlook

The same logic applies in other calendar apps.

Create one shift event, open the repeat or recurrence settings, choose custom, and repeat every 4 days. If the app does not make “every 4 days” obvious, look for a daily recurrence with an interval field.

If you use multiple calendars, consider creating a separate “Fire shift” calendar. That lets you show, hide, share, or export the shift rotation without mixing it with family events.

Use a printable or exportable version

A digital recurring event is the best day-to-day setup. A printable month view is still useful for the station, fridge, family planning, or vacation conversations.

For a printable 24/72 calendar, build the recurring series first, switch to month view, and print the month or year from your calendar app. If your app supports export, export the shift calendar as an .ics file so you can back it up or share the base rotation.

Several firefighter-specific calendar tools also support custom shift patterns. They are useful when you need an A/B/C/D visual, a wall-calendar view, or a department-specific pattern that is awkward to build manually.

A/B/C/D shift example

Many 24/72 setups are easiest to understand as four groups rotating through the same four-day cycle.

Cycle day	Group on duty
Day 1	A Shift
Day 2	B Shift
Day 3	C Shift
Day 4	D Shift
Day 5	A Shift again

If you only need your own schedule, create one recurring event for your shift. If you are building a department or family reference calendar, create separate recurring events or color blocks for each shift group.

Handling trades, overtime, and Kelly days

Do not rewrite the whole recurrence every time real life gets messy.

For a one-off trade, edit only that event occurrence. Move it, rename it, or add a note like “trade with Ramirez.” When your calendar asks whether to edit this event or all events, choose the single event.

For recurring overtime, create a separate recurring event in a different color.

For a Kelly day or debit day pattern, create another event series if it repeats predictably. If it is assigned manually, add it as a single event.

For callbacks, add a separate event. Do not distort the base 24/72 rotation to account for every extra shift, because then the calendar stops showing the underlying pattern clearly.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it causes trouble	Better approach
Repeating weekly	24/72 is not weekly	Repeat every 4 days.
Starting on the wrong date	Every future shift will be wrong	Confirm your next actual shift before building the series.
Editing the whole series for a trade	One swap changes every future event	Edit only that occurrence.
Using one color for everything	Overtime and base shifts blur together	Use separate colors for base shift, OT, Kelly days, and trades.
Leaving the series endless during a transition	Old patterns linger after policy changes	End the series at year-end or contract-change dates.

Where LifeLoad fits

A 24/72 calendar tells you when you work. It does not automatically tell you what the schedule is doing to recovery, family plans, sleep, or errands.

That is the deeper planning problem LifeLoad is interested in. A 24-hour shift is not just one event. It changes the day before, the day after, and the way your week loads up around it. Once the rotation is in your calendar, you can start planning around the real weight of the schedule instead of just counting days.