Paramedic / EMT / FF Weight-Limit

[crotchitymedic1986]

Watching the news today, they showed a clip from a fire scene, which showed a fireman that had to weigh close to 350lbs. Over the years I can remember working with some fairly large folks, and it did effect their job performance. I remember a female medic who could not intubate a patient on the ground because of her stomach and breast size. Should there be a weight-limit for our profession, much like the flightmedics have ? Maybe 200-250lbs max ?

Do any of you currently work with a morbidly obese partner ? If so, can they do all aspects of their job ?

[JPINFV]

Are you seriously trying to claim that someone that is 200 lb can't perform the job adequately? There's too much that goes into a person's shape than just their weight. Ground EMS doesn't have the same concerns for vehicle balance and weight limits that aeromed has.

[crotchitymedic1986]

good point, maybe we should use body mass index. If you are 6'4 and 225, i guess that would be fine, but if you are 4'10 and 225, not so sure.

In EMS, i guess you can be rather large and still do your job, but when you are a FF, I think you are putting your crew's life in jeopardy if they have to drag you out of a building.

[WolfmanHarris]

I think more important than weight may be reevaluating lifting ability. I've seen medics who barely passed their lift tests in school when working out daily, letting this slip and picking up poor lifting habits as their strength decreased.

That's not to say that weight is not a problem. It's been an on and off struggle (currently on) for me since undergrad. I worry about how it will affect me on the job, not so much in my ability to treat my patients (I am nowhere near bad enough that my weight would get in the way of any procedure), but in how it will affect my back long-term. I also want to be able to set a good example for my kids (when I have them), so I might as well start by setting an example for my patients. I've been working hard to increase my cardiovascular health and drop the extra weight.

The question then becomes, how do we as an industry best deal with our own fitness? Is it better to set a weight limit or to set a standard for strength and fitness? I'd pick the latter. Do we want to discipline/suspend/fire those who don't meet a standard or do we want to find ways to encourage such as facilities to work out in the station (available outside of work), gym memberships, etc? On this I think we need the latter with a bit of the former to give it some teeth.

But let's be honest, before any of this could work, the members of the service need to commit to making it a priority in themselves. Without that intrinsic motivation it will be difficult to get anything moving and people will aim for the minimum standard rather than seeking to improve themselves. Without support from the staff it becomes another high-handed management down initiative for people to avoid.

- Matt

[crotchitymedic1986]

Well you know, I have read about businesses that will no longer hire smokers, and one company that gave all of its workers "x" amount of time to quit smoking or be fired, because it was costing them too much in health insurance. You could make a realistic arguement for letting super heavy folks be fired because of what diabetes and HBP will cost you in healthcare dollars.

But that is a very slippery slope for employers to head down.

[Arctickat]

I have all the incentive I need. My scuba gear is starting to shrink around my midsection for some reason. I'd hate to have to go out and blow another $2000.00 for some new gear that fits.

[Michael]

323 pounds, but 7 feet tall

[Dustdevil]

Do we want to discipline/suspend/fire those who don't meet a standard or do we want to find ways to encourage such as facilities to work out in the station (available outside of work), gym memberships, etc? On this I think we need the latter with a bit of the former to give it some teeth.

Tried and failed. It always turns out to be a colossal waste of money on the part of the agency. Nobody uses the equipment. Nobody goes to the gym. There are no "teeth" in this theory, and I disagree wholeheartedly with it. It's all about commitment. If you are committed to getting, keeping, and excelling at this job, you will do what it takes. If you are not, you will not. It is that simple.

It is YOUR responsibility to assure that you are fit for duty, not your employer's.

[WolfmanHarris]

So are you in favour of setting a standard? And what would you base it on?

[Dustdevil]

So are you in favour of setting a standard? And what would you base it on?

Scientifically developed and nationally recognised standards of performance, in consultation with the health and medical communities. EMS organisations should not be in the business of arbitrarily setting such standards. It is outside our realm of expertise. Leave it to the ergonomists, physiologists, and physical and occupational therapists to tell us what the stanards should be, and how to measure them. And they should be the ones measuring and evaluating the candidates, not us. Anything less is just asking for a lawsuit.