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Crafton council weighs $15,000 for volunteer firefighter physicals amid privacy and cost questions
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Summary
The council added a $15,000 request to the budget for comprehensive physicals for volunteer firefighters and debated scope, HIPAA/privacy, per-person costs and whether to reduce the amount to $10,000. Volunteers were reported at about 55 people.
Crafton Borough added a $15,000 request to its 2026 budget to pay for more comprehensive physicals for volunteer firefighters, a request officials said had been made by the fire department and had not been performed regularly in recent years.
Speaker 1 said the department estimated the cost to provide thorough physicals for all active volunteers at roughly $15,000 and described the screenings as more robust than a routine primary-care visit. "This is a more, robust physical than you would typically get," Speaker 1 said.
Councilors raised practical questions about who would receive results and how they would be used. Speaker 4 asked whether the borough or the fire department would receive medical results and whether the screenings could lead to removal from duty; councilors noted HIPAA protections and that the fire department and the individual would receive results, with personnel decisions handled by the fire organization, not the borough.
The council discussed volunteer counts and cost tiers. Speaker 1 said the department has about 55 volunteers and that costs vary by the depth of the exam; estimates cited during the workshop ranged from a few hundred dollars per person for basic exams up to higher costs for executive or full-service screening. Some councilors proposed budgeting $10,000 instead of $15,000 as a compromise; others favored budgeting the full request and letting unspent funds roll over if not used.
No formal vote was recorded; the item was added to the decisions page for the finance committee to review before final approval.
