FWFD Fitness Standards: SOP S 1001 R6

• This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ensures that all Fort Worth Fire Department (FWFD) civil service personnel maintain a minimum fitness level in the Green category, assessed through annual physicals.
• The SOP is titled "Administration, Standards of Readiness", numbered S 1001 R6, effective November 1, 2023 and replaces S 1001 R5 (6.21.23); it is administered annually.

General Information

• Personnel must undergo annual physicals by the City of Fort Worth's contracted health and fitness provider.
• The annual medical evaluation follows the National Fire Protection Association 1582 Standard guidelines.
• The evaluation includes the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), considered the gold standard for evaluating aerobic capacity (VO2 Max).

Fitness Categories

• Based on CPET results, personnel are assigned to a fitness category represented in mL/kg/min.
• VO2 Max is measured to determine the fitness category: Green, Yellow, or Red.
• Red: VO2 Max under 20
• Yellow: VO2 Max 20-24.99
• Green: VO2 Max 25 and over

Up-Slip and Down-Slip

• Up-slip: Issued to personnel in the Yellow Category with a reasonable expectation of returning to the Green Category within 30-90 days.
• Down-slip: Issued to personnel in the Red Category, indicating they likely won't return to the Green Category within 90 days and require longer rehabilitation or medical care.

Instructions/Procedures

• Personnel in the Green category can work in the Operations Division without restrictions.
• Personnel in the Yellow category are reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Officer and the Return to Work Coordinator.

Yellow Category Requirements

• Those in the Yellow category remain in their assigned position but must participate in a fitness rehabilitation program.
• This includes meeting with an Athletic Trainer for a workout and nutritional plan, monitored workouts, monthly evaluations by the Occupational Safety and Health Officer and Athletic Trainer and adhering to the Up-Slip timeline if received.
• The amount of time personnel can remain in the Yellow category varies by age:
  • 18-29 (Group 1): 30 days
  • 30-39 (Group 2): 60 days
  • 40-49 (Group 3): 90 days
  • 50-59 (Group 4): 120 days
  • 60 and over (Group 5): 150 days
• Group 1 personnel are retested by the health and fitness provider at the 30-day mark.
• Groups 2-5 are tested at the midpoint and end of their maximum allowable days; all personnel can be tested sooner with the Athletic Trainer's approval.

Consequences for Not Reaching Green Category

• Operations personnel unable to reach the Green category by the end of their assigned timeframe are placed in the Red category and will be removed from Operations, assigned to a 40-hour workweek, and ineligible for Operations overtime.
• Non-Operations personnel unable to reach the Green category by the end of their assigned timeframe will have their schedules modified for supervised workouts and become ineligible for Operations overtime.
• Personnel in the Red category are tested every 30-45 days until they reach the Green category.
• Failure to reach the Green category within 1 year may result in disciplinary action, including a fitness-for-duty evaluation.
• Personnel scoring in the Red category are reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Officer and the Return to Work Coordinator.

Red Category Requirements

• Operations personnel in the Red category must; be removed from Operations and assigned to a 40-hour work week; participate in a fitness rehabilitation program; meet with the Athletic Trainer for a workout/nutritional plan with supervised workouts at the Fire Training Center or another approved site; be ineligible to work Operations overtime; participate in monthly evaluations; adhere to the Down-Slip timeline.
• Operations personnel are retested every 30-45 days until they reach the Yellow category.
• Personnel may return to the Operations Division after: receiving a minimum score of Yellow on a retest and being subject to the Yellow category guidelines.

Additional Guidelines

• Non-Operations personnel in the Red category will have schedules modified for supervised workouts including meeting with an Athletic Trainer for workout/nutritional guidance at the Fire Training Center (or approved site), ineligibility to work Operations overtime, participating in monthly evaluations and adhering to the Down-Slip timeline.
• Personnel are retested every 30-45 days until they reach the Yellow category and may return to regular assignments after retesting with the Health and Fitness provider, scoring at minimum in the Yellow category, and being subject to the guidelines of the Yellow category.
• Personnel who fail to reach the Green category within a year may be subject to disciplinary action.
• Failing to report for an annual physical or bloodwork may result in disciplinary action.

Referral Procedures

• Referrals from the Health and Fitness provider are required to be followed for health-related issues.
• Specific reasons for referrals include:
  • VO2 under 20 (Down-slip to Red Category)
  • A1C over 8.0% (Down-Slip to Red Category)
  • Resting blood pressure over 160 Systolic or 100 Diastolic (Up-Slip to Yellow Category for 30 days, then Red Category if uncontrolled)
  • Hematocrit over 53.0% (Up-Slip to Yellow Category for 30 days, then Red Category if not below 53.0%)
  • Significant changes from the last physical that raise concerns about health, safety, or the well-being of teammates may result in a 90-day Up-Slip or Down-Slip; failure to handle discovered Yellow Category issues will place firefighters in the Red Category

Compliance

• Failing to comply with referral timelines will result in being lowered to the Red Category and facing associated restrictions and may result in disciplinary action.