Updates to policies, improvements in PPE, and a renewed focus on health are the driving forces for change in many organizations these days. Part of this shift stems from NFPA’s recent efforts to merge 116 standards into 50, including the consolidation of four distinct health and safety standards into one comprehensive standard, NFPA 1580: Standard for Emergency Responder Occupational Health and Wellness. The 2022 editions of NFPA 1581 (infection control), 1582 (medical programs), 1583 (health-related fitness programs) and 1584 (rehab) are the final standards to be rolled into the broader standard, and they will no longer be updated as individual standards. They each remain issued by the Code Council to give departments time to comply and allow for legal references to be updated accordingly.
As it relates to physical fitness requirements outlined in NFPA 1582: Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, NFPA 1580 is now the latest and most up-to-date content for fire departments to follow.
From NFPA 1582 to NFPA 1580
NFPA 1580 includes five chapters that align with the content from the previous NFPA 1582 standard:
- Chapter 9: Occupational Medical: Roles and Responsibilities
- Chapter 10: Occupational Medical: Essential Job Tasks
- Chapter 11: Occupational Medical: Evaluation of Members
- Chapter 12: Occupational Medical: Annual Fitness Evaluation
- Chapter 13: Occupational Medical: Evaluations
Furthermore, there are a number of technical and structural changes to what we previously followed in NFPA 1582: Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, now outlined in NFPA 1580. You must read the entire standard to fully understand its impact, but here’s a snapshot of the new standard:
- NFPA 1580 includes the 2022 amended-version language that established a single set of medical requirements and evaluations for both members and candidates.
- There was no change to the medical evaluation component, although it now applies to both incumbent firefighters and prospective candidates.
- Firefighter aerobic capacity requirements were adjusted for age and biological sex.
- There are now specific thresholds that, if not met, a physician shall recommend restriction from more than half of the essential job tasks of a firefighter as described in NFPA 1582.
- As a consensus standard, baseline and annual fitness testing is required for all firefighters.
Let’s now consider what you need to do to meet the standard requirements.
NFPA 1580, chapter by chapter
Chapter 9 outlines fire department and personal responsibilities to comply with the standard. This includes requirements for medical direction, physician requirements, medical record keeping, and similar issues.
Chapter 10 requires the fire department to “evaluate 15 essential job tasks against the types and levels of emergency services provided to the local community by the fire department ….” Refer to the standard for the specifics, but here are briefs on the 15 tasks. (Where PPE is listed, that includes full PPE with SCBA.):
- Wearing PPE performing firefighting tasks
- Wearing the required respirator
- Exposure to fumes, despite wearing PPE (simulate mask failure)
- Climbing at least six flights of stairs in PPE
- Wearing PPE to raise core body temperature
- Working alone, wearing PPE, search and drag “victim”
- Wearing PPE, advance water-filled hoseline (up to 1¾ inch) about 150 feet
- Wearing PPE, climb ladder to work from height, crawl and walk in dark
- Conduct sudden bursts — unpredictable, prolonged periods of extreme physical exertion
- Operating fire apparatus in an emergency response mode
- Critical, time-sensitive, complex problem-solving during physical exertion in stressful, hazardous environments
- Ability to communicate while wearing PPE
- Functioning as an integral component of a team where sudden incapacitation of a member occurs
- Working in shifts
- Performing EMS tasks, such as CPR, lifting and moving patients while wearing PPE
Chapter 11 requires a basic medical evaluation where personnel will be tested on a variety of functional areas, each consistent with the job requirements as outlined in the essential job tasks outlined in Chapter 10. While we cannot possibly cover all aspects of an individual’s preparation in this article, focusing a portion of training on the areas in Chapter 10 in advance will help you physically prepare for a NFPA 1580 compliance exam.
Chapter 12 covers the physical evaluation. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the first area addressed. BMI categories are used to classify a person’s weight status based on their height and weight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the categories are as follows:
- Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
- Healthy weight: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
- Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9 BMI
- Obese: BMI 30 or greater (Class 1: 30 to less than 34.9; Class 2: 35 to 39.9; Class 3: 40 or greater)
While you can use this CDC BMI calculator to check your BMI, it is important to understand that height and weight alone will not determine whether you are in shape or fit to perform the duties of a firefighter. For example, a short, muscular person may have a relatively high BMI but be extremely fit. As such, NFPA 1580 offers multiple methods to obtain the BMI:
- Circumferential measurements
- Hydrostatic weighing of Bod-Pod
- Skinfold measurements
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis
The overall goal should be a reduction in body fat percentage, with a targeted workout routine and proper diet that can help lower the BMI, when necessary.
Chapter 12.2.2 addresses aerobic capacity — a vital test of a firefighter’s ability to meet the rigors of the job. This involves the essential job functions spelled out in Chapter 10, among others. Baseline and annual physicals must include the breadth of aerobic capacity outlined in Chapter 12. Individuals will be required to test at the 35th percentile or better, as compared to the general population.
This section also specifies an evaluation of muscular strength, endurance and joint mobility. Departments should support their personnel with physical training programs and options to help build aerobic capacity and physical strength, and personnel should prepare a full-body workout — legs, arms, chest, back, core and grip strength — to condition themselves for the exam and, more important, the job itself.
There are plenty of free resources available for firefighters looking to improve their aerobic capacity and muscular strength. Two of the best:
- Fire Rescue Fitness by Better Every Shift host Lt. Aaron Zamzow
- Firefighter Functional Fitness by Chief Jim Moss and Captain Dan Kerrigan
Additionally, the NFFF’s First Responder Center for Excellence recently launched the “Fire Recruit 40-day Fitness Program.” This is a new online fitness training program is designed for firefighter recruits. The FRCE web site says the program, “will help build the fitness, strength, stamina, and healthy habits you’ll need to be prepared for the academy on day one!” The FRCE’s focus on firefighter health and wellness is another resource fire departments can use to put the tools prospective candidates need to prepare. https://firstrespondercenter.org/trainings/
Chapter 13 speaks to the occupational physical portion of the standard. This includes special testing for medical situations and conditions. Chapter 13 also spells out the physician and fire department physician roles.
The intersection of NFPA 1580 and OSHA 1910.156
In February 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a sweeping update to the Fire Brigades Standard, 1910.156. According to an OSHA news release, the current standard’s protections apply to a narrow set of industrial and private firefighters and have become outdated, as the standard was originally published in 1980:
“Currently, OSHA regulations protect emergency responders’ safety and health in a patchwork of decades-old, hazard-specific standards. Not designed as comprehensive emergency response standards, they fail to address the full range of job hazards faced by today’s emergency responders. The newly named ‘Emergency Response’ standard updates safety and health protections in line with national consensus standards for a broad range of workers exposed to hazards that arise during and after fires and other emergencies.”
Additionally, the proposed rule would affect baseline medical screenings: “The proposed rule requires employers to obtain baseline medical screening for all emergency responders and ensure continued medical surveillance for responders when they are exposed to the byproducts of fires and explosions more than 15 times annually.”
As currently proposed, 1910.158 references many of the NFPA codes, including NFPA 1582, which is no longer the latest standard to reference.
It is important to understand the role OSHA does or does not play in your jurisdiction. This standard originally applied to private/business fire brigades, as private industry in general is OSHA’s jurisdiction. OSHA typically does not have jurisdiction over municipal fire departments. States with OSHA components of their own may compel municipal fire departments to comply with some or all of the OSHA standards — each state is different.
The standard is in the final review stage, having received more than 4,000 comments, including many from fire service constituent groups, agencies, departments, associations and personnel. One rallying cry in particular, as seen in the comments, centers on the opinion that this standard revision will decimate the number of volunteer firefighters. While I believe every firefighter should have both baseline and continuing physical requirements, I do think there are opportunities to stage such an implementation over time, if the final standard ends up applying globally. I will say that as a chief, there is no way for me to justify telling paid or volunteer firefighters that I’m complying with a standard for their safety, without that applying to all firefighters. Safety is not a pay status.
Read more about the proposed OSHA updates:
- Fire service groups react to OSHA’s proposed updates to ‘Fire Brigades’ standard
- OSHA weighs in: Detailing the newly proposed PPE regulations
- FASNY pushes back on OSHA’s proposed changes to Fire Brigades Standard
- The OSHA sky is falling
Final thoughts
Firefighters need to be mentally and physically prepared to meet those challenges head on, from day one. While there are many amongst us who disagree with NFPA or OSHA on any number of issues, the health, wellness and safety of the men and women providing service to our communities must be a priority. The chaotic environments we experience daily are no place for the weak of mind, body or spirit — and this standard is one way to prepare our teams.
From a street perspective, we’ll worry about the deadlines and administrative minutia later. The chiefs should be working that, all while our recruiters, trainers and company officers are keeping our existing membership and prospective candidates in states of readiness, willingness and ableness.
