VIDEO: Firefighters shifts range but they often go into the night, some can be as long as 48 hours in a row.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Chris Mortensen, sleep studies have helped fire departments adjust the way firefighters sleep to make the night shift more bearable.
“It used to be the alarms would blare and you were waking up and lights were flashing everywhere and we found out that was really bad for your system,” said Mortensen. He said researchers found lack of sleep and even just the way firefighters wake up has a big impact on health.
“We tried to work with scientific agencies and educational institutions across the country and figure out how we can best modify that or reduce the risk to firefighters,” he said.