> What's New
December 18, 2007
Michelle Moore joins the Interagency Medical Standards Program as the Program Specialist. Michelle's extensive background as a smokejumper and EMT are excellent skills assisting the program in evaluating first level review of proposed waiver/accommodation memos. Michelle's contact information is listed under the Contacts link.
Use your chain of command, including your Agency Regional representative, first to answer most questions regarding the Medical Standards Program. If you ordered the incorrect exam, need to move a firefighter to a new unit identifier, have a clinic concern, or have a question your Agency cannot answer, contact a medical standards program Customer Service Representative at 208-947-3750 or email wlffcsr@blm.gov. Please do not contact CHS for any issue other than to establish a new user account at cassupport@chsmedical.com, or to reach the appointment scheduling call center at 866-416-5941.
Medical Standards Program Customer Service Representatives began answering FMO, SHRO, and firefighter questions on 12/14/07. You can contact the customer service representatives at 208-947-3750 or emailing questions/concerns to: wlffcsr@blm.gov.
The US Forest Service continues implementation with the Eastern and Southern Geographic Areas. The Federal Wildland Firefighter Interagency Medical Standards Qualification Program will exceed 18,000 arduous duty exams this fiscal year.
Refresher training and future implementation training will be provided through distance/e-learning. The distance learning training module will be completed by early spring 2008 and additional information will be sent through the Agency FFAST and Regional Coordinators.
Scheduling appointments through Comprehensive Health Services will have a 48 hour (2 day) hold after the appointment is requested since very efficient schedulers are calling before the firefighter has the exam paperwork. To return a voicemail from a scheduler or if you are notified through CAS to contact a scheduler for an exam appointment, call 866-416-5941 and select the option to be transferred to the wildland firefighter scheduling department.
Exam forms have been updated and no longer print shaded areas for the wildland firefighter to complete. Updated exam form examples are found under the Resources link. You must use the exam forms obtained through CAS. Clinics will not perform your exam unless you have the correct exam form, printed one-sided. Remember; bring your photo ID to the clinic.
CAS has been updated to allow the requesting Agency to schedule one medical examination per fiscal year.
There is a missed appointment fee. Please contact the scheduling department at 866-416-5941 ASAP if you cannot make your scheduled appointment to avoid your Agency being charged a missed appointment fee.
Please ensure the firefighter's demographic information is correct in CAS. For further evaluation letters to arrive at the correct address, please review/update the firefighter's demographic information each year. Note: CHS schedulers will not update firefighter demographic information during the scheduling process and the process will terminate until the correct information is updated by the requesting Agency.
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October 11, 2006 FY07 finalizes DOI nationwide implementation with the Eastern and Southern Geographic Areas. FS is considering delaying further implementation one year until the Albuquerque Service Center is fully functional. The Federal Wildland Firefighter Interagency Medical Standards Qualification program will exceed 18,000 arduous duty personnel this coming fiscal year.
Mobile health unit scheduling will begin October 1. Please remember that if a mobile unit is coming to your location, the FMO must still request the firefighter examination appointment through CAS and denote in the special instructions text box that a mobile unit is requested. FMOs - if you have not been contacted for a mobile unit, please contact Logistical Support for Wildland Firefighter On-site Mobile Units at 800-638-8083.
Training dates and locations are noted at http://safenet.nifc.gov/ffastmed.nsf. Please register to ensure adequate supply of training manuals at the meeting.
New telephone number (866-416-5941) and email (wlffcsa@chsmedical.com) at Comprehensive Health Services for the program. Please note that CHS will not be responding to implementation questions.
Implementation, clearance, and waiver/accommodation questions should be handled within the chain of command. If you do not find the answer in the FAQ section, or at the local level, contact your agency coordinator found in the Contacts link.
The exam scheduling call center is operational. To return a voicemail from a scheduler, or if you are notified through CAS to contact a scheduler for an exam appointment, call 866-416-5941 and ask for the wildland firefighter scheduling department.
You must use the exam forms obtained through CAS for your appointment. Clinics will not perform your exam unless you have the correct exam form. Remember, bring a photo ID to the clinic.
There will be a missed appointment fee this year. Please contact the scheduling department at 866-416-5941 ASAP if you cannot make your scheduled appointment.
Please unsure the CAS demographic information is correct. For further evaluation letters to arrive at the correct address, please update the firefighter's demographic information each year.
January 15, 2006 With implementation in the Northern Rockies/Rocky Mountain Geographic Area well underway, this is a good time to review a new medical clinic's quality. If you have a question, concern, or compliment regarding a clinic or program implementation, please contact your specific bureau representative found under the Contacts link.
In the Contacts section, you will notice that Barb Sivey is the new Program Specialist. If you have any questions on implementation, training, or the waiver/accommodation process that your bureau representative is unable to fully explain, please contact her at your convenience.
A reminder to SHROs and FMOs - if you find in the Client Access System (CAS) a firefighter with the clearance "Cleared-2 sets of corrective lenses (glasses)," you must coordinate with the firefighter to complete the waiver with restriction document specific to this medical concern. The automatic clearance with restriction process for an individual who does not meet the uncorrected vision standard, but with corrective lenses does obtain a corrected vision of 20/40 or better; is granted this specific clearance. The CAS notation is the only notification you will receive that the automatic waiver with restriction process was utilized. This automatic process expedites resource availability, but does require acknowledgement by the employee and management that the restrictions are in place. A boilerplate waiver with restriction for two sets of corrective lenses (glasses) memo for your use is found in the Resources link then in the Miscellaneous Documents/Forms link.
Comprehensive Health Services (CHS) has created a Request for Wildland Firefighter Medical Examination Record form for firefighters wanting a copy of their medical examination records. This form is found in the Resources link.
September 10, 2005 FY06 brings implementation to the Northern Rockies/Rocky Mountain Geographic Area for the interagency community as well as Forest Service Region 10, Alaska. With FS Regions 1, 2, 6, 10, and essentially DOI west of the Mississippi, the Federal Wildland Firefighter Interagency Medical Standards Qualification program will exceed 15,000 arduous duty personnel this coming year.
Mobile health unit scheduling will begin October 1. Please remember that if a mobile unit is coming to your location, the FMO must still request the firefighter examination appointment through CAS and denote in the special instructions text box that a mobile unit is requested. FMOs - if you have not been contacted for a mobile unit, please contact Logistic Support for Wildland Firefighter On-site Mobile Units at 800-638-8083.
Training dates and locations are noted at http://safenet.nifc.gov/ffastmed.nsf. Please register to ensure adequate supply of training manuals at the meeting.
January 10, 2005 The AD/EFF flowchart is updated reflecting the variations between the Departments of Agriculture and Interior when hiring AD/EFFs under 45 years of age. The FMO follows individual agency policy on processing Health Screening Questionnaires (HSQs). The FMO still has the authority to determine whether the AD/EFF is a mission critical resource to be included in the Interagency Medical Standards program, should the AD/EFF not meet HSQ requirements.
Mobile health unit scheduling for the majority of BLM and FS locations in the Pacific Northwest is almost complete. Even though a mobile unit is coming to your location, the FMO must still request the firefighter examination appointment through CAS and denote in the special instructions text box that a mobile unit is requested. FMOs - if you have not been contacted for a mobile unit, please contact the Program Manager at kevin_jensen@fws.gov for an update.
Just a reminder, with appointment requesting through CAS, the firefighter should receive a scheduling call from CHS within five working days of appointment request unless you denoted the need for a mobile unit. If the firefighter does not receive a scheduling call within five working days, contact the CHS Wildland Firefighter Client Services Administrator at 800-638-8083 to resolve the delay.
Also, check out Frequently Asked Questions for an answer to the medical qualifications needed for retirees being re-hired for arduous duty positions. Click on the Examinations topic.
November 3, 2004 A survey is now available online to rate clinical experiences with CHS.
September 15, 2004 Beginning October 1, 2004, examination forms (Annual, Baseline, Periodic, or Exit) will only be available through the CAS website. Pertinent demographic information will be inserted by CAS onto the new exam forms saving time and ensuring the firefighter receives the correct form.
The FY05 exam forms are markedly different from the previous three years. Forms from past year's training manuals or the old website should not be used for current exams. Instead, forms from the CAS website are the exclusive source for current and valid exams.
Users will have the option in CAS to either print the exam form after each request or printing several exam forms at one time through the "Reports" page. If you have questions about this process, please contact the Client Systems Administrator, Shannon Kane at 800-638-8083.