By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Green Oak Township Fire Department is getting caught up with physicals for firefighters through a cost-effective and convenient option in partnership with other departments.

At a recent meeting of the township board, members unanimously approved a request from Fire Chief Kevin Gentry for the budgeted cost. A memo stated as everyone knows firefighting is very physically demanding but what is less well known is that far more firefighters die on duty from medical issues, such as previously undiscovered cardiac issues, than in actual structure fires.

Gentry told the board that the National Fire Protection Association or NFPA has stipulated that physicals are required to be done annually. He said they haven’t done it for years on the annual basis, largely because of money, and noted they were the last department in the county that needed to catch up so it was definitely time and they budgeted for it this year. Gentry said they use a company called Bio-Care that brings a large walk-through truck to the department and allows members to get their physicals at the station. A number of local departments are said to use the company and a truck drives around the county, stopping at different fire stations.

The physicals must be done every year, with the goal being to catch latent medical conditions that could be potentially dangerous with the added physical stress of firefighting.

Gentry said they set up the timing so it would be cheaper as many departments that use the company, basically the entire southern part of the county, had them come in the same week so it worked out. He noted the bid price was $13,525 but they had some people leave and had some new firefighters that already had physicals done within past year so the actual amount would likely be less than that original bid price. Gentry added that they shopped around and compared the price to their normal provider for new-hire physicals and it was about $7,000 cheaper to do the truck at their own station, versus sending everyone to RediCare so it made more sense to do it this way.

Gentry said should an issue be detected, the member would be referred to their own physician and then that person’s physician would consult with the department as far as what needs to be done.

Supervisor Mark St. Charles commented it was a great idea, and other board members agreed. He said anyone can develop any type of condition and be unaware of it but under certain circumstances, it could really put them or someone else in peril so it’s a good idea to get it done.

The truck was in Livingston County the first week of December and Green Oak joined with the Hamburg and Putnam Township Fire Departments on scheduling.