ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The City of Rochester has come to an agreement with the union representing local firefighters regarding changes to work schedules.

The contract between the city and Rochester Fire Fighters Association Local 1071 will change the current schedule into a 24-hour working schedule.

Right now, the schedule has firefighters working three days of 10-hour shifts and two days off and three nights of 14-hour shifts and four days off. Instead, the new schedule will consist of working 24 hours on, two days off, and 24 hours on, four days off, according to the City of Rochester.

Matt Murphy, the vice president of Local 1071, explained in a statement that the move to the 24-hour schedule provides health and safety benefits, while also giving flexibility with training.

“After a busy night, your body takes a day and a half to recover to get back to your normal circadian rhythm,” Murphy said. “If you have a busy night, your first or second night while working three nights in a row, your body does not have time to recover before the next shift. The old schedule opens our members up to fatigue, which leads to injuries and accidents the second and third night in.”

This new schedule will go into effect for Rochester firefighters at the beginning of the new year.