Abstract
Occupational burnout among career firefighters represents a growing crisis with serious consequences for individual health, public safety, and fire department sustainability. This study investigates the factors contributing to burnout among career firefighters in Wisconsin, with a focus on three primary areas: shift schedules, sleep disturbances, and organizational culture. Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, the research combines an online quantitative survey with semi-structured qualitative interviews to examine how these factors interact to produce burnout in the fire service context.
The quantitative component employs the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index alongside measures of organizational factors, targeting a sample of 200 to 300 career firefighters across Wisconsin. The qualitative component involves in-depth interviews with 15 to 20 participants selected to represent diverse department types, shift patterns, and burnout levels. Data analysis integrates statistical regression modeling with thematic analysis to identify both patterns across the sample and the lived experiences of individual firefighters.
This research is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources model, which frames burnout as the result of high occupational demands outpacing available personal and organizational resources. Shift schedules are examined as structural demands that disrupt circadian rhythms and limit recovery, while sleep disturbances are considered a central mechanism linking physical fatigue to emotional exhaustion. Organizational factors, including leadership quality, peer support, help-seeking stigma, and workload, are analyzed as potential resources that can buffer or amplify burnout risk.
Findings from this study are intended to provide fire service leadership and policymakers with actionable, evidence-based recommendations for reducing burnout and supporting firefighter well-being across Wisconsin's diverse range of career fire departments.
Date Capstone Completed
5-2026
Document Type
Capstone Paper
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Leadership Education: Sport Management
Advisor
Raymond Martinez
Location
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Recommended Citation
Pridgeon, Nickolas R., "Burnout Among Wisconsin Career Firefighters: An Examination of Shift Schedules, Sleep Disturbances, and Organizational Factors" (2026). Leadership Education Capstones. 100.
https://openriver.winona.edu/leadershipeducationcapstones/100
Metadata Creation Responsibility
Nickolas Pridgeon
