Firefighter Overtime Discussing Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Firefighters, First Responders as well as Human Resource & Finance Professional
A group of current and former firefighters from the Jacksboro Fire Department (Tennessee) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Town of Jacksboro, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state law. According to the complaint filed on August 29, 2025, the Jacksboro Fire Department failed to pay firefighters for all hours worked.
The firefighters primary claim relates to the town’s past practice of automatically deducting eight hours of “sleep time” from every 24-hour shift—even when firefighters were interrupted, working, or on calls during the alleged “sleep time.” In addition to not properly tracking any sleep disruptions, the complaint alleges the firefighters work shift is 24 hours in length. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations allow limited sleep time deductions for public agency fire departments provided the organization meets certain criteria. One of the more prominent requirements is that a firefighter’s work shift must be greater than 24 hours. According to the complaint, the department unilaterally removed the sleep time deduction on July 1, 2025.
The firefighters are asking the court to certify the case as a collective action, which would allow other current and former Jacksboro firefighters to join in on the suit. Additionally, they are seeking unpaid wages, overtime for the past three years, and equal amount of liquidated damages, and attorney’s fees. Here is a copy of the complaint and more on “sleep time.”
