Kelly Day Calculator

A Kelly day is a recurring scheduled day off on a fire or EMS rotation that lowers a member's average weekly hours, usually to bring a 24/48 or 48/96 schedule down toward the FLSA overtime threshold. It is named after Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly, whose 1930s administration is often credited with the arrangement. Not every department means the same thing by it, though.

Yes, and your union contract picks one. First, the reduction Kelly day: a scheduled day off every few tours that cuts average hours (the most common, and the FLSA-driven one). Second, the rotating or floating Kelly day: a recurring slot that rotates through the crew so every member takes a turn while coverage stays continuous. Third, the added-shift or debit Kelly day: some departments add an extra shift periodically to reach contract hours instead of removing one, so the hours go up, not down. Fourth, the banked K-day: a benefit day some crews call a Kelly day, scheduled and trade-covered at will rather than fixed to the rotation. The calculator defaults to the reduction model and lets you switch to the added-shift model or set a custom cadence.

Pick your rotation (24/48, 48/96, 24/72, or 3-platoon), choose your platoon, enter a recent on-duty date to phase the pattern, and set how often your Kelly day recurs. The calculator projects the exact dates for the next 24 months, totals your annual and weekly hours, and shows where you sit against the FLSA 7(k) threshold.

FLSA Section 7(k) is the public-safety exemption that lets fire and EMS employers measure overtime over a 7 to 28 day work period instead of a standard 40-hour week. For fire protection employees a 28-day work period tops out at 212 straight-time hours (29 CFR 553.230); shorter work periods scale down from there. Hours above the cap are overtime.

A straight 24/48 rotation averages about 56 hours a week, which works out to roughly 224 hours in a 28-day period, over the 212-hour FLSA cap. A Kelly day every eighth tour trims the average to about 49 hours a week (around 196 hours per 28 days), which lands under the cap. That is the whole point of the Kelly day: reduce built-in overtime and even out hours.

It is completely free and needs no signup. You can share your exact result with a link, download your Kelly days as an .ics calendar file, or create a free RescueShift account to keep your whole rotation, trades, and coverage in one synced place.