$22M In Overtime: Some Honolulu Firefighters Double Their Hours

In 2023, Honolulu firefighter Arno Reynolds worked more than 138 days worth of overtime, putting himself at the top of a long list of city firefighters who racked up extra hours that year. 

His efforts netted him substantially more pay, allowing him to earn time and a half, while providing needed relief to a workforce that – like other public safety agencies – has recently struggled to fill its ranks. While Reynolds was the top overtime accumulator that year, he was not alone: Six others worked more than 100 extra days, too. 

Firefighters generally work 10 full-day shifts per month. With overtime, some are doubling their workload, according to data Civil Beat obtained through a public records request.

It’s crucial that stations are staffed at all times, Hawaiʻi Fire Fighters Association President Bobby Lee said, adding that over the years it’s become increasingly challenging to meet minimum levels. With this in mind, he said, employees who can frequently work overtime are a blessing.  

Overtime records show who fills in the gaps. Shifts are assigned based on who signs up and prioritizes firefighters who already work at the station in need. There is no maximum level of overtime for individual firefighters.

However, Fire Chief Sheldon Kalani Hao said that system is changing to direct OT toward firefighters who haven't worked as many hours.

Covering those shifts comes at a cost. HFD budgeted $22 million for overtime during Fiscal Year 2026. That’s an increase of almost 25% from Fiscal Year 2025, when the city budgeted $17 million.

Lee said staffing has been an issue for the past couple decades. Reductions in retirement benefits contributed to this, he said, as well as the larger phenomenon that people are not as wed to their careers as they used to be.

“In my day, nobody quit this job,” he said. “But now ... we get recruits who drop out.”

The Honolulu Fire Department’s vacancy rate has held relatively steady over the past five years, at around 15% of total funded positions. However, Hao said that data doesn’t account for the roughly 100 recruits who join every year, making the real rate lower.

Honolulu firefighters work an unorthodox schedule with 24-hour shifts: one day on, one day off, one day on, one day off, one day on, and then four days off before beginning the cycle again.

Firefighters' unusual schedules are the reason why picking up an extra shift adds so many overtime hours. Lee said management tries to avoid having people work more than 36 hours in a row. After that threshold, the pay rate increases even more – to double their usual rate — and the physical toll of working so many hours can add up, Hao said. 

Beyond exhaustion, Lee said, continuous exposure to harmful materials is another reason to monitor how many hours firefighters work.  

Hao said recruitment has dropped precipitously during the past 15 years. The application period used to open every three years and receive 5,000 applications, he said. Now, it opens every two years and receives less than half that amount.