Kelly Schedule Calendar

The Kelly schedule is a 9-day cycle of 24-hour shifts: one on, one off, one on, one off, one on, then four days off. Three shifts cover every day of the year, and the long break lands in a different part of the week each time round.

About the Kelly Day / 3-platoon schedule

The Kelly schedule is a 9-day cycle of 24-hour shifts: one on, one off, one on, one off, one on, then four days off. Three shifts cover every day of the year, and the long break lands in a different part of the week each time round.

Who works it: Fire departments running three shifts that want a four-day break built into the rotation rather than traded for separately.

Cycle length
9 days
Shift length
24 hours
Shifts
3 (A / B / C)
Longest break
4 days (96 hours)
Hours per week
56 average

Why the Kelly rotation returns to the same platoon on the same date every 12 years — the exact arithmetic, worked through with the Christmas example.

Common questions

What does “cycle start date” mean?

The first day your crew works at the beginning of the rotation. If you're not sure, pick any day you know you were on shift and adjust it until the calendar matches a month you remember.

Can I change the colours?

Yes. The swatches under the pattern picker set a colour per crew or shift — A green, B blue and C red to start with. Change one and it stays that way in your browser next time. Every day also carries its shift code, so the calendar still makes sense printed in black and white or read by someone who is colour blind.

How do I get this on my phone?

Click Download .ics and open the file. iPhone and Android will both offer to add it to your calendar, with every working day as an all-day entry.

Is it free?

Yes, and there's no account to make. The calendar is built in your browser and nothing you generate is uploaded or kept — the site never learns anything about you.