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October 4, 2009

Towns to fund health exams for firefighters

By DENISE A. RAYMO

MALONE — Franklin County taxpayers will be asked to pay for annual physical examinations for volunteer firefighters who have no health-insurance coverage.

Those with medical coverage will now need their physician to use a standardized form that fits federal Occupation and Safety and Health Administration standards for workers' compensation claims and self-insurance coverage.

Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost told legislators that the exams and the new forms are expected to be adopted by the county's Fire Advisory Board next month and phased in starting in January.

The goal is to have everyone on the same page and in compliance by Jan. 1, 2011, he said.

The Advisory Board, which is made up of representatives from each fire department in the county, will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the Emergency Services Building on Bare Hill Road in Malone for a question-and-answer period.

Board members can share their concerns and those of their membership and should be able to say how many don't have insurance coverage.

Provost has asked legislators to go back to the towns, villages and fire districts they represent and start "selling the benefits of the standardized form" and the need to provide funding.

The department chief determines which of the four categories of duties a particular firefighter falls into:

•  Can actively fight an indoor fire wearing an air pack and full turnout gear.

•  Can work as an emergency-medical technician and support others at exterior fire scenes.

•  Can work as a fire police person.

•  Can only perform non-emergency administrative duties.

The physician bases how often a physical should be taken and the extent of the exam on that information and records it on the proposed updated medical-evaluation sheet.

Exams will cost municipalities between $55 and $75 each, which is money that has to be factored in to each municipality's annual budget during the next few years.

Provost said that if people fail the physical under the criteria outlined for them, they would be re-categorized and duties modified in order to remain with the fire company.

"We want to make sure someone is in the proper category and not let (them) put themselves in harm's way."

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com

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