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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on December 26, 2007 at 9:42pm

Berni:
And lost in my last response were the "support" issues.
Let's take Bobby's claim and apply to my department.
If I had one of my firefighters come to me and state that they were exposed to a gas release at a meth factory response, he would immediately be enrolled in the medical system here. After filing the necessary paperwork, I would follow that claim until the employee (my firefighter) was satisfied that he had reached his pre-injury state or had reached his/her maximum medical improvement. If he/she was 100 percent healthy prior to his/her injury, then I would expect nothing less out of the doctors or the insurance company. If they were unable to return to firefighter status, in our case, a volunteer firefighter, then I would definitely push for a satisfactory separation/resolution.
I had to give up active firefighting when my knees could no longer take it. I know of the mental anguish that a person goes through when they can no longer perform at a level that you feel is acceptable to you or your brothers/sisters. I went through that. I am also a realist and know that it was the best decision at the time. So, short of that, you look for ways to contribute and hope that there is support for that. And there are those people who can be cruel if you aren't able to no longer perform to THEIR standards. It varies from person to person. But over all, if you have been a key player, then most of the others will support you in your endeavors.
I am in Illinois and my personal opinion is that we have a lousy work comp system. But, employers are, by law, obligated to provide for injured employees, either by providing work comp insurance or by setting up a trust to pay for injuries. Most companies cannot afford the trust, so they opt for the insurance. With that said, the system provides for the payment of medical bills, second opinions, payment while unable to work, rehab until MMI, vocational rehab if the employee cannot return to their job and a differential if they cannot return to a job that offers pre-injury wages. If there is permanent injury, then a settlement is granted. And if the employee isn't satisfied, then they can go before the arbitrator and seek more remedy.
Trust me when I say, that, with my knowledge of the "system", our firefighters would receive every ounce of my "support"; mental, moral and financial.
I hope that this clears up any perception that I would be satisfied with the outcome as dictated by an insurance conglomerate. If my firefighter isn't happy, then I'm not happy.
And I like to be happy.
Good luck with your goals.
TCSS.
Art

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Permalink Reply by Berni on December 26, 2007 at 10:03pm

Hi Art,
I think it is great that you believe that the happiness and health of your firefighters is your number one goal. That is the type of support that I believe all firefighters should be entitled to when injured.
However, let us also be realists and acknowledge that this does not happen in all cases. These cases need to be examined for why the firefighter was failed. As you said, people can be cruel. While we cannot change people (wouldn't that be wonderful at times!!!), the system must be changed in that it affords support in ALL cases, not just in the rare case when a fire chief is also a risk manager. I can assure you that your level of knowledge of the system is rare; you have it because of your occupation. Not all firefighters are lucky enough to have someone who "knows" the system and can help them through it. I have had fire chiefs yell at me that because of me they had to learn more about workers comp than they ever wanted to know.......like I wanted to sign up for a crash course either!!! However, at a time when a person is injured, they (as you know from personal experience) have many concerns, emotional, financial, ect. We need, as a group, to address these concerns and support the firefighters through them emotionally. Great departments and leaders do just that. Not every firefighter is that lucky, and yes, it does depend upon the state system. It also depends upon the department.

However, I believe that every story offers insight as to what could be done better by a department, as we can always improve. Perhaps, there should have been a policy in place about having SCBA readily available at all times, even when pumping the engine. If it was in place, then it should be followed, for just this reason. The main goal shouldn't be trying to get firefighters to MMI as cheaply as possible and hope that they can perform their job functions. It should be to prevent injuries. If there were fewer injuries than the annual average of 80,000+, than perhaps we could focus more on taking care of those firefighters who need help. However, in my opinion from what I have seen and experienced, the insurance companies focus on all the firefighter injuries as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual firefighter. They have trouble adapting to an individual case. As a paramedic, I may run 15 calls per shift; however, I focus on my one patient at a time, even if they have developed a problem/complaint/EKG rhythm that I have never seen before.....and as we all know, patients do this. As first responders, we deserve the same care and concern that we show the community.

I am glad that we can both agree that outcomes dictated by the insurance companies are not needed. Unfortunately, not all chiefs have your expertise and see their firefighters through the injury/work comp system as carefully as you do. These firefighters may fall through cracks and not reach a higher level of recovery than they could have otherwise.

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Permalink Reply by Bobby King on December 27, 2007 at 12:37am

Thanks Yall for the input and Opinions on both parties..
as far as My post goes It wasnt to put that department down I have drawn alot of good friendships from there and with the exception of the few I never had a problem with any other

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Permalink Reply by Berni on December 27, 2007 at 10:49am

Hey Bobby,
As I wrote, unfortunately when you have a serious work comp claim, often the relationship with your department does change. It shouldn't. Everyone's goal should be the recovery of the firefighter, however, this is not always reality. Hope you are feeling better and have a Happy New Year. Stay safe.

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