As law enforcement and fire departments across the nation struggle with staffing shortages, scheduling becomes an increasingly complex task. Departments must carefully balance serving the needs of their communities, protecting officers and firefighters safety, and operating within budgetary constraints. Failure to do this well can not only undermine safety but also create unnecessary costs for departments. In this article, we’ll look at some of the impacts that poor scheduling practices can have on police and fire departments and discuss strategies to improve scheduling outcomes.