Speaker 1 said the fire department requested $15,000 to provide comprehensive physicals for active volunteers and that the request had been added to the decisions page. Speaker 1 framed the exams as both a safety and recruitment measure and described them as more robust than a routine primary-care visit.

Councilors pressed for details. Speaker 2 asked whether physical results could lead to a volunteer's removal and who would get the results; Speaker 3 and Speaker 4 emphasized HIPAA and said the department and the individual volunteer would receive results, not the borough for fitness determinations. "That's HIPAA protected and we have no input on it," Speaker 3 said, arguing the borough would not make employment decisions based on the exams.

Participants discussed cost and targeting. Speaker 1 said the volunteer roster totaled about 55 and that estimates vary by physical type; Speaker 4 and others noted a range of options (basic office physicals to executive-level screenings) and suggested the council could budget $15,000 and let the department manage actual expenses or reduce the budget to $10,000 if preferred. Several members favored keeping the $15,000 allocation as a recruitment benefit and to allow the department to cover any overage.

No formal vote was recorded in the workshop. The item remains on the decisions page for final review at the finance committee and the upcoming approval meeting.