| IAFF Local | Prince George’s County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Association, IAFF Local 1619 |
| District | 4 |
| Department | Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department |
| Members | 1,000 career (combination department) |
| Contact Information | Bill Bussing [email protected] |
Approach
An internal survey was initiated within the Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) in 2003-2004 by the Wellness-Fitness Committee to ensure feasibility of a permanent wellness-fitness coordinator, PFTs, fitness equipment in stations and research and development of the IAFF/IAFC CPAT in the future. Local 1619 leadership made several attempts to convince management to legitimately pursue a program. The majority of members were also aware of the importance of wellness-fitness. In order to convince management of the necessity of a wellness-fitness program, Local 1619 worked to help the fire chief understand that progress toward a wellness program would not negatively affect the budget. A study conducted within the department showed that improvement was needed and that the current medical services provider’s program was completely flawed. As a result, the Labor/Management Wellness-Fitness Committee was formed.
In 2006, a Wellness and Fitness General Order was submitted to the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department with the wellness and fitness policies and procedures and all program components. The Wellness and Fitness program components revolve around the systems of Total Health Risk Management and are designed to protect the health and well-being of the individuals in the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department and decrease the fiscal affects of injury, illness and sick leave use.
The three major goals of this General Order included: individual and departmental safety; individual and overall readiness of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department; and implementation of individual and organizational wellness and fitness training.
To read the entire General Order with the wellness and fitness policies and procedures,click here.
Medical
| Facility | Off site medical clinic – Concentra |
| Physician | Wellness/Fitness Medical Director |
| Additional Staff | Wellness and Fitness Coordinator |
| Exam Frequency | Annual – scheduled by the Risk Management Office (RMO) |
| Exam Details | Medical Details |
Medical/Physical Process
Medical Report Review
Stress Test Procedures
Fitness
| IAFF/IAFC PFTs | 6 |
| Duties | Conduct physical fitness appraisals Maintain equipment Facilitate wellness/fitness education and promotion at the station/battalion level Recruit physical fitness appraisals and pre-hiring wellness/fitness mentoring Research and development of new wellness/fitness methods Coordination and communication of information and data to the Risk Mgmt. Office and the Wellness and Fitness Coordinator |
| Exercise Time | Minimum of 1.5 hours 3 days each week on day work |
| Exercise Program | Functional Physical Fitness Training Programs – offer the opportunity to combine physical fitness training with heavy exertion skills and movements required of job tasks that are specific to emergency operations Peer Fitness Trainer Programs Pre-Hire Fitness Preparation Program Recruit Fitness Training Program |
| Equipment | In house 360-square-foot fitness center includes: treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, rowing machines, stair climbers, machine and free weights Use of station equipment, community centers |
| Nutrition | Wellness and Fitness Director works with a certified nutritionist(s) to develop weight loss and create individualized diet plans to achieve and maintain optimum health, body weight while reducing chances for disease |
Functional Fitness Training Form
Health Wellness Administrator Job Description
Health Wellness Coordinator Job Description
Wellness Fitness Program Task Descriptions
Wellness Fitness Station Education
Wellness Fitness Training
Injury-Rehab
| Method | Injury/Illness Back to Work Program |
| Modified/Light Duty | Yes – Risk Mgmt. Office conducts case review meetings on a weekly basis |
| Injury Prevention Committee | No |
Behavioral Health
| Method | EAP Program Education in station |
| EAP | Yes |
| Stress Management | Health care provider and County program |
Depression and Alcohol Risk Assessment
Cost Justification
| Method | N/A |
Data Collection
| Method | (CTX) through medical physicals Cardiac risk factors tracked by Mirosoft Access |
| Data Collected | N/A |
Implementation
There are currently no links or files available for dissemination. For more information, see the contact listed above.
Miscellaneous