There is a lot going on with your Occupational Health and Fitness Committee as we work to improve the wellness of our membership.  Although the City’s support has disappeared along with the funding they promised, we are working on ideas to maintain a program despite this. 

At the time of this article, nearly 600 members have been through their comprehensive fire fighter specific medical exams.  This is a minimum of a $1000 benefit available to every one of us and with our self-insured status when one of us doesn’t take advantage of these grant funded exams, it can impact all of us.  It is important to ensure that you are ready for the exam when it is scheduled and to notify Swedish as soon as possible if you know you can’t make your scheduled appointment. If you have not completed the fecal blood occult test prior to your scheduled appointment, you may do that and submit it at any time – you do not need to postpone or cancel your appointment.

On the heels of these exams, our Peer Fitness Trainers (PFT’s) are ready to meet with you for some fitness work.  These exams are as confidential as your medical exam and the information will not be shared with the department of the City.  Local 27 has worked hard to ensure absolute privacy for you. This fitness work is by fire fighters for fire fighters and I strongly urge you to participate if you have been cleared by a doctor in the last 12 months.  Again, we stand to gain as a group collectively when more of us participate. 

I have heard some concerns over the language used in the memo that announced the upcoming PFT program.  I would like to emphasize, this program is by fire fighters for fire fighters and there is no mandatory component or any fit for duty type impact at all.  That said, I strongly urge everyone to participate.  It is efforts like these that will strengthen our Welfare Trust and help us get closer to some type of medical benefit enhancement whether it is a retirement benefit or something else. Each of us can have an impact that helps the rest of us.