strings attached

Several backcountry volunteer fire departments are balking at new contracts with the county that require firefighters to take a physical exam, which many in leadership positions acknowledged they would not pass, according to a published report.

Last year, the County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to bring several of the volunteer departments in the unincorporated parts of the region under the newly formed San Diego County Fire Authority.

The $15 million plan included a provision to cover the volunteers' workers compensation insurance costs, which meant firefighters would have to take a medical exam. Now, at least five volunteer fire agencies are refusing to sign the contracts because of the requirement, reports the North County Times.

Gil Turrentine, 73, is the fire chief of the San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department, one of the departments declining to sign the contract. He said many longtime volunteers, including his assistant fire chief, are refusing to take the physical because they believe they will not pass the exam because of high blood pressure, weight and other problems.

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Permalink Reply by FETC on June 26, 2009 at 10:33am

Old Man,

My point being; Pop singers, marathon runners, college and professional athletes all get physicals, and guess what? They still have, and die of heart attacks. Physicals are not the miracle cure.

Cardiac arrest is not technically a diagnosis for a cause of death in an autopsy. Cardiac arrest is what happens from an underlying medical condition that caused the end of life event.

Just wait, I am sure after a battery of tests of the coroner, we will hear that something additional "CAUSED" the event to happen outside of the healthy results of the recent physical.

What constitutes a "medical exam"? I had a part-time job doing "medical exams" for insurance qualification.

In the fire service NFPA 1582 consititutes a medical exam. You can't compare a half ass life insurance physical as a miracle cure.... compared to a 6 hour complete and thorough 1582 physical.