What are medical standards?
In 2001, the fire directors approved specific medical standards and established the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Qualification Standards Program to implement the standards. The medical standards apply only for arduous duty wildland firefighting positions as described in PMS 310-1. Specific medical standards are required because of the arduous and hazardous nature of the job, in addition to providing a means of tracking occupational health relative to acute and chronic exposure to the wildland firefighter environment. The information gathered will assist the agencies in improving their fire safety programs and their commitment to maintain a high degree of responsibility toward public and firefighter safety.
Medical standards define the correct medical response to a given situation as generally recognized by competent physicians. There is no one book or list that describes medical standards. Medical standards can be found in medical text, medical journals and are taught in medical and nursing schools. Competent physicians may have different views on what the medical standards are. Furthermore, medical standards change over time as medical procedures change.
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