SAFER and NFPA 1582 for Volly dept

[volfireman034]

I just read that regs on NFPA 1582 for physicals. How can any small volunteer fire department expect to meet that standard both finacially and literally? Now if most of it was just like a questionaire for the new firefighters to fill out I can see it working. But having a volunteer go to the doctors for all those tests I can't see it. Now yes I agree that this standard would be great to follow and is a good thing. But not sure it's doable in the real world? Anyone have any other thoughts or ideas on it?

[Catch22]

I know of several volunteer departments that do it. Around here I think the cost is about $230 per firefighter, so it's not too bad. I've seen departments waste more than that in a year on stupid stuff.

[ktb9780]

I just read that regs on NFPA 1582 for physicals. How can any small volunteer fire department expect to meet that standard both finacially and literally? Now if most of it was just like a questionaire for the new firefighters to fill out I can see it working. But having a volunteer go to the doctors for all those tests I can't see it. Now yes I agree that this standard would be great to follow and is a good thing. But not sure it's doable in the real world? Anyone have any other thoughts or ideas on it?

Well guy it is being done with a lot of VFDs around the country. Not discounting the financial strain on a small vollie department but...there are other considerations to consider. Many do not do the physical until after all other "screening" requirements have been met; IE D/L check, criminal history, physical endurance or agility, drug screening etc. That saves them from wasting money on those that would be eliminated anyway.

The bigger question you should ask yourself is probably more along the lines of " do I want a potential heart attack or stroke victim on my department and responsible for pulling me out of a fire" and then having an angry widow and money hungry ambulance chaser filing a wrongful death lawsuit against your department for not running a baseline physical.

The days of the "social club" VFD are over. If you want the toys, you have to train and make sure the people using the equipment are qualified and capable of doing the job. Deep pocket theory of liability extends all the way down to the Chief.

By the way I see you are near Ft Smith, I'll be teaching there coming up right after first of the year. Maybe we will get to discuss this in more detail then.

[volfireman034]

Kurt let me know when your going to be in fort smith I would enjoy meeting you. I don;t disagree with the physical at all and I certainly am aware and preach to my crew and in classes about being healthy. The number one killer of firefighters is heart attack/stroke so I understand it's important. But it's a hard to in this areas becuase last thing people want around here is to hear that there in bad health and need to cut back on the fried food and biscuits and gravy. lol I have a very young crew compare to most in the area which helps me out alot. I also have a nurse and a paramedic that's heading up our health program. But for many departments I'm sure its a hard sell.

[Catch22]

Kurt let me know when your going to be in fort smith I would enjoy meeting you. I don;t disagree with the physical at all and I certainly am aware and preach to my crew and in classes about being healthy. The number one killer of firefighters is heart attack/stroke so I understand it's important. But it's a hard to in this areas becuase last thing people want around here is to hear that there in bad health and need to cut back on the fried food and biscuits and gravy. lol I have a very young crew compare to most in the area which helps me out alot. I also have a nurse and a paramedic that's heading up our health program. But for many departments I'm sure its a hard sell.

If you want a sell, there's a retiree at my career department that will testify to the physicals. A couple of years before he retired they found some spots on his lungs during his 5-year chest x-ray. They caught the cancer soon enough that they could cut it out. He lost a part of a lung, but he was able to continue working until he retired and bought a few more years.

He even said himself that if he didn't get physicals from the FD, he probably wouldn't have found out about the cancer until he was sick enough it got him down.

[ktb9780]

Kurt let me know when your going to be in fort smith I would enjoy meeting you. I don;t disagree with the physical at all and I certainly am aware and preach to my crew and in classes about being healthy. The number one killer of firefighters is heart attack/stroke so I understand it's important. But it's a hard to in this areas becuase last thing people want around here is to hear that there in bad health and need to cut back on the fried food and biscuits and gravy. lol I have a very young crew compare to most in the area which helps me out alot. I also have a nurse and a paramedic that's heading up our health program. But for many departments I'm sure its a hard sell.

Will be teaching grant writing workshop sponsored by Ft Smith EMS on Feb 26-27 at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center. Email me offline( check my profile).

[fireinfo10]

I know of several volunteer departments that do it. Around here I think the cost is about $230 per firefighter, so it's not too bad. I've seen departments waste more than that in a year on stupid stuff.

I priced out the full "battery" of testing required to meet NFPA (cardiac stress test, labs, shots etc) a couple years ago and was nearly $800/man. That was at rural hospital cut rate price. No way to make any such work.

[Catch22]

I priced out the full "battery" of testing required to meet NFPA (cardiac stress test, labs, shots etc) a couple years ago and was nearly $800/man. That was at rural hospital cut rate price. No way to make any such work.

Try a doctor's office or a clinic that specializes in occupational health.