The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has amended guidelines for physicians and other healthcare providers responsible for fire department medical programs.
NFPA 1582 – or the Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, creates a single standard for both candidates and incumbent fire fighters, and considers factors like age and biological sex within the benchmarks for cardiorespiratory fitness.
The previous standard had two different sets of medical requirements: one for fire department candidates and another for incumbent fire fighters. The original language also only took test results at face value and didn’t consider individual factors.
NFPA worked with IAFF officials, FEMA representatives and attorneys, and medical experts for two years to finalize the new standard.
The revised standard grades fire fighter cardiorespiratory fitness on a percentage. Fire fighters who are in the 35th percentile or above will be deemed to have a passing test score.
Those scoring below that benchmark (keeping age and biological sex in mind) may be prescribed a fitness program designed to get that fire fighter in better cardiopulmonary health.
Once the NFPA decided to amend the standards, the IAFF and other task group members advocated for metrics related to age and biological sex.
“Cardiopulmonary fitness levels are often not uniform across genders and ages, so it was important for the IAFF to ensure the new standard gave accurate and complete results,” said IAFF Chief Medical Officer Dan Whu. “Considering these factors does not mean fire departments would have to lower expectations, it just means that appropriate fitness levels have been now adopted to reflect the cardiopulmonary differences that may be found within genders and different ages.”
NFPA 1582 is available on the NFPA’s website.
