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Fire chief recommends NFPA 1582-compliant fitness-for-duty RFP for Carlsbad firefighters
Summary
Carlsbad Fire Chief Souza told council that current annual physicals do not meet NFPA 1582 standards and recommended issuing an RFP for a compliant fitness-for-duty assessment program; chief said the union is supportive and that the program would be non-punitive with pathways for improvement, light duty and medical retirement when appropriate.
Carlsbad Fire Chief Souza briefed the council on a proposed request for proposals to provide NFPA 1582-compliant annual fitness-for-duty assessments for department members.
Souza said NFPA 1582 requires multiple assessment components including a general physical, fitness testing (aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength), vision and hearing exams, pulmonary function tests, cardiovascular evaluations including ECGs, and potentially stress tests and laboratory analyses. He said current city physicals do not meet that NFPA standard and recommended advertising an RFP for a compliant provider.
Chief Souza told council the union is favorable to the concept and has provided a memorandum of understanding to allow members to participate. In response to council questions, Souza said the program is intended to be non-punitive: employees identified as failing standards would be offered medical guidance, improvement plans or light-duty assignments when appropriate; non-recoverable conditions could lead to medical retirement. The collective bargaining agreement already allows light-duty assignments, he added.
