Consider this scenario. The ABC Fire Department has a health and fitness program that is much more progressive than many other departments. Annual physicals are required and paid for by the department, fitness trainers are at the station at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday to work the on-duty crews out for one hour, and a post-fire decontamination procedure is in place.
Of late, two different members seem to be slacking or skipping the mandatory fitness hour. One member is a probationary firefighter who is also a smoker and who claims his knee is hurting from a previous condition. The other is an officer who is considered overweight and out of shape who also claims his knee hurts when he has to climb the stairs of the hose tower. There is more and more dissension among the ranks because some members are not participating in the mandatory fitness program.
Recognize the importance of medical, fitness, performance, and rehab standards.
