KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kansas City, Kan. firefighters faced scrutiny Thursday night after an audit showed taxpayers paid more than a million dollars for hours never worked.

It comes down to how firefighters switch shifts, a common practice the department says shouldn’t be an issue.

So here’s what is up for debate: Because firefighters work 24 hour shifts regardless of holidays or weekends, sometimes they have to switch a shift with a co-worker for a number of different reasons.

It’s common practice according to firefighters. There are rules that regulate shift trades, and Kansas City, Kan., Fire Chief John Paul Jones says his firefighters follow those rules.

However, an audit found that a million dollars was paid to firefighters who didn’t work. It’s assumed the shifts were traded, and firefighters paid each other cash for the favor, so the one who didn’t work still got paid on the books.

Chief Jones says this shift-change debate should be a non-issue.

“We’ve done it for more than 30 years and departments in other parts of the country have done it much longer. You know it’s really- it adds flexibility, it’s budget neutral,” he said.

No immediate steps were taken to change the shift-change policy. Instead other changes will be coming to the fire department. The changes will be made regarding how the department operates to increase its effectiveness and employee satisfaction.

Overall, the mayor and Chief Jones say the process of reviewing the fire department has been a positive one, and they both look forward to the steps they’re making to push the fire department to be even better.