SOME NEW MEXICO FIREFIGHTERS MAY NOT MAKE THE GRADE THIS UPCOMING FIRE SEASON -- BECAUSE OF STRICTER HEALTH REQUIREMENTS. ERIC KAHNERT JOINS US NOW TO EXPLAIN WHY THE FOREST SERVICE SAYS THIS COULD BE GOOD FOR YOU -- ERIC? BEFORE HEADING OUT TO BATTLE WILDFIRES THIS YEAR,
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, FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE U-S FOREST SERVICE WILL NOW HAVE TO PASS TOUGHER PHYSICALS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THEIR CHOLESTEROL IS TOO HIGH, OR THEIR HEARING ISN'T UP TO PAR -- THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE FRONT LINES. TOUGH TO IMAGINE A WILDFIRE RIGHT NOW .... BUT AS THE U-S FOREST SERVICE SAYS: NEW MEXICO'S FIRE SEASON -- LASTS ALL YEAR. AND IN 2009, FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE IN THE BEST SHAPE -- EVER. 5:10 'the people out here will know that they have the best most physically fit highly trained individuals out protecting the east mountain out here.-9'RICHARD BUSTAMANTE IS WITH THE SANDIA RANGER DISTRICT HE SAYS THE STATE'S ONE- THOUSAND FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE U-S FOREST SERVICE WILL HAVE TO ADHERE TO STRICTER HEALTH GUIDELINES PUT IN PLACE BY THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THE MORE IN- DEPTH HEALTH SCREENINGS WILL CHECK FIREFIGHTERS FOR THINGS LIKE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, PAST INJURIES, LUNG CAPACITY, AND HEARING LOSS. 1:23 'if certain firefighters don't pass these physicals, they'd be deemed unavailable for the fire season.-7' IN FACT, 2 OUT OF THE 20 FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE SANDIA DISTRICT DO NOT MEET THE NEW HEALTH REQUIREMENTS RIGHT NOW. THEY FALL SHORT IN THE HEARING CATEGORY ... AND MAY HAVE TO GET HEARING AIDES IN ORDER TO WORK THE FRONT LINES. BUSTAMANTE SAYS THE NEW HEALTH GUIDELINES ARE A WIN-WIN. 7:48 'its definitely a benefit to both the forest service, the employee and to the residents here.-5'THE U-S FOREST SERVICE ACTUALLY STARTED IMPLEMENTING THE NEW HEALTH GUIDELINES IN 2000. THE NEW MEXICO/ARIZONA DISTRICT IS THE LAST DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY TO REQUIRE THEM. TOM/NICOLE BACK TO YOU.
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