(A) Whenever the municipality employs three or more full-time paid firefighters, the Fire Chief shall divide the uniform force into not less than two platoons, and where the uniform force is so divided into two platoons, the Chief shall keep a platoon of the uniform force on duty 24 hours after which the platoon serving 24 consecutive hours shall be allowed to remain off duty for at least 24 consecutive hours, except in cases of extraordinary emergency. Each individual member of the platoons, in addition to receiving a minimum of 24 hours off duty in each period of 48 hours, shall receive an additional period of 24 consecutive hours off duty in each period of eight days, so that no individual member shall be on duty more than a total of 72 hours in any period of eight days. The Chief shall arrange the schedule of working hours to comply with this section. The Chief may, however, in cases of sickness, death, or on other necessary occasions, permit the exchange of working hours between members of the department. All employees of the fire department shall be given not less than two weeks’ leave of absence annually, with full pay. This section, insofar as it relates to off duty periods, does not apply to the municipality if it adopts a 40-hour week, or if it has a three platoon system, the members of which work 24 consecutive hours, immediately followed by 48 consecutive hours off duty, but the provisions relating to the two weeks’ leave of absence do apply.
(B) As used in this section,
FULL-TIME PAID FIREFIGHTERS does not include volunteer firefighters, or firefighters who work part time.
(R.C. § 4115.02)