Now Available: Medical Evaluation Implementation Guide

The IAFC Safety, Health and Survival (SHS) Section has developed A Fire Department’s Guide to Implementing NFPA 1582 (pdf, 9MB), now available for download on the SHS Section website.

It’s the position of the IAFC and the SHS Section that every firefighter should receive an annual medical examination in compliance with NFPA 1582. A Fire Department’s Guide to Implementing NFPA 1582 (pdf, 9MB) is a compilation of easy-to-understand summary information and practical tools to assist chief officers with the development and implementation of a department-wide, annual medical evaluation program. In addition, this document provides department physicians with an easy to reference so that the needs of departments and their firefighters, both new and incumbent, are consistent and meet NFPA 1582.

“No chief wants to bear the loss of a firefighter killed in the line of duty. We know that cardiac related events are the leading cause of death among firefighters and that an annual physical coupled with a fitness program is the best way to prevent such deaths,” said Chief Matt Tobia, SHS Section chair. “Frequently, chiefs are overwhelmed by the enormity of NFPA 1582 implementation and simply don’t know where to start. This guide opens that door and provides a path to follow in preventing LODDs.”

A Fire Department’s Guide to Implementing NFPA 1582 (pdf, 9MB) is an interactive resources containing summaries of national level-guidance, hyperlinks to complete source documents, checklists, and customizable samples of administrative and medical documents.