In a Small Suburban Town,firefighters Work 8-Hour Shifts Firefighters Must Report to Work at the Beginning of the Six

Essay

In a small suburban town,firefighters work 8-hour shifts.Assume there are six shifts each day that are divided into six 4-hour periods.The minimum number of firefighters needed on each shift is illustrated below.
$$\begin{array} { l c } \text { Shift } & \text { Number of Firefighters Needed } \\\text { Midnight-4 a.m. } & 5 \\4 \text { a.m.-8 a.m. } & 6 \\\text { 8 a.m.-Noon } & 10 \\\text { Noon-4 p.m. } & 12 \\4 \text { p.m.-8 p.m. } & 8 \\\text { 8 p.m.-Midnight } & 5\end{array}$$
Firefighters must report to work at the beginning of the above time periods and must work eight consecutive hours.Use Excel to formulate and solve this labor planning problem to determine the minimum number of firefighters needed on each shift.