Frisco, Texas firefighters are preparing for a new work schedule, and East Texas A&M University researchers will study how the change affects their health and recovery.

The Frisco City Council approved $133,535 for laboratory testing supporting a yearlong study through ETAMU's ROARHP Lab. More than 100 firefighters will participate as the department transitions from working 24 hours followed by 48 hours off to the Portland schedule: one day on, three days off, two days on and three days off.

Dr. Michael Oldham, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance and director of the lab, said the project builds on his team's work evaluating firefighter shift rotations.

“It will be the first time we've studied that transition,” Oldham said.

ROARHP researchers use wearable monitors to track heart rate, sleep, recovery and physical strain, helping them compare firefighters' experiences before and after schedule changes. The Frisco study will combine monitoring with periodic laboratory testing.

The lab's capabilities include measuring cardiovascular fitness, body composition, movement and blood chemistry. Together, these tools help researchers understand how demanding work affects the body.

Faculty and student researchers contribute to the lab's broader mission of improving health and wellness through exercise science. Its first responder partnerships connect that work with practical questions facing departments and their communities.

The Frisco project reflects the service-centered approach Oldham described in ETAMU's recent Fire Data Consortium announcement.

“We want to make sure that firefighters are able to walk off the job instead of limp off the job,” Oldham said.