Get care first
Call 911 for an emergency. Move the member from the hazard when it is safe, begin cooling or decontamination, and follow the treating clinician's directions.
← Local 4406 Resource CenterHEALTH & SAFETY // MEMBER RESPONSE GUIDE
Report it before the record disappears.
An injury, exposure, near miss, or fitness for duty issue can affect medical care, pay, workers compensation, retirement, and employment status. Get care first, make the report, keep the records, and bring the Local in early.
01 // THE FIRST TEN MINUTES
Handle the emergency. Then protect the member.
Not every event follows the same procedure, but the basic sequence is dependable. Medical care comes before paperwork. Prompt reporting and a clean factual record come next.
Report it promptly
Notify command and complete the required injury, exposure, or near miss report. If the facts are disputed, report what you personally observed and do not guess.
Protect the record
Keep the incident number, run report, photographs, witness names, medical restrictions, receipts, and every workers compensation communication.
Contact the Local
Call Local 4406 when an injury is serious, treatment is delayed, a claim is questioned, a restriction affects duty status, or discipline may be involved.
DO NOT COMBINE THREE DIFFERENT PROCESSES
Your internal injury report, the workers compensation claim, and the employer's IOSHA report are separate. Completing one does not automatically complete the others.
02 // HEAT ILLNESS AND TRAINING REHAB
Confusion is an emergency, not a rehab delay.
Heat illness can worsen quickly, and symptoms overlap. Do not wait to decide whether the member has heat exhaustion or heat stroke before starting care.
CALL 911
Confusion, slurred speech, seizure, collapse, or unconsciousness can indicate heat stroke. Move the member to a cool area, begin active cooling immediately, and continue until emergency help arrives.
Cool first
- Remove heavy outer clothing and gear
- Use cold water or an ice bath when available
- Place ice or cold wet towels on the head, neck, trunk, armpits, and groin
- Use fans to increase cooling
- Never leave the member alone
Build the response before the drill
- Establish rehab, hydration, and active cooling
- Confirm reliable dispatch and 911 communication
- Identify ALS assessment and transport capability
- Track entry, exit, workload, and accountability
- Give the safety officer clear authority to stop the evolution
These are Local 4406 planning expectations. The controlling training standard, medical protocol, department procedure, and site conditions must also be reviewed.
03 // COLD STRESS AND WINTER OPERATIONS
Wet gear can turn ordinary cold into an emergency.
Cold risk is not controlled by one temperature. Wind chill, wet clothing, exposure time, exhaustion, workload, and the member's condition all matter. Winter operations need planned rehab just like hot weather operations.
CALL 911
Confusion, slurred speech, fumbling hands, loss of coordination, inability to stand, drowsiness, slowed breathing, or loss of consciousness can indicate serious hypothermia. Move the member to shelter and begin safe rewarming while emergency help is responding.
Warm the member safely
- Move the member to a warm room, apparatus, or shelter
- Remove wet clothing and replace it with dry layers
- Cover the head and neck while keeping the face clear
- Warm the center of the body first
- Give warm sweetened fluids only if the member is fully alert and able to swallow
- Monitor breathing and be prepared to begin CPR
Numb and waxy is not normal
Frostbite may cause numbness, tingling, pain, pale or bluish skin, a firm or waxy appearance, and blisters. The member may not recognize the injury because the area is numb.
- Do not rub or massage the affected area
- Do not apply snow or break blisters
- Cover the area loosely and protect it from contact
- Do not thaw tissue if it may freeze again
- Seek medical care and check for hypothermia
Build warm rehab into the incident
- Monitor wind chill, precipitation, and changing conditions
- Rotate crews through heated rehab before members become impaired
- Use a buddy system to watch speech, coordination, and behavior
- Provide dry gloves, socks, hoods, and replacement clothing
- Keep members hydrated and replace wet gear promptly
- Address ice on apparatus, ladders, hose, tools, and walking surfaces
- Plan for prolonged incidents, water exposure, and inactive staging
These are Local 4406 planning expectations. The incident commander, safety officer, rehab personnel, medical direction, and department procedures must account for the actual conditions.
NO SINGLE STOP TEMPERATURE
A fixed air temperature by itself can hide the real danger. Departments should use wind chill, wetness, exposure time, workload, PPE condition, and medical signs to set work and rehab decisions.
04 // INJURY AND WORKERS COMPENSATION
A verbal heads up is not the whole claim.
Report a work injury promptly and in writing. Ask who is handling the claim and keep a copy of everything. Do not assume command, payroll, the carrier, and the Workers Compensation Board all have the same information.
01
Complete the department report and keep the incident or report number.
02
Ask for the workers compensation claim number, insurance carrier, and adjuster contact.
03
Keep work status notes, medical restrictions, prescriptions, mileage, receipts, and missed work records.
04
Follow the authorized care process, but contact the Local if treatment is delayed, denied, or does not address the injury.
05
Do not return to unrestricted duty until the written medical status is accurate and the job demands are understood.
05 // EXPOSURE AND CONTAMINATION
The details that look small today may matter years from now.
Smoke, blood, bodily fluids, chemicals, contaminated PPE, and repeated low level exposures require prompt care and reliable documentation.
BLOOD OR BODY FLUID EXPOSURE
Wash or flush the area, report the exposure, and obtain a confidential medical evaluation as soon as possible.
OSHA requires the employer to make post exposure evaluation and follow up immediately available after an exposure incident is reported. Treatment decisions depend on the exposure and should be made by a licensed medical professional.
Read 29 CFR 1910.1030 ↗01
Date, time, incident number, location, assignment, and tasks performed
02
Substance or hazard involved and how the exposure may have occurred
03
PPE and SCBA used, any equipment problem, and when protection was removed
04
Visible contamination, decontamination steps, symptoms, and photographs
05
Names of witnesses and the officers or agencies notified
06
Medical evaluation, testing, restrictions, follow up dates, and claim number
NIOSH // NATIONAL FIREFIGHTER REGISTRY FOR CANCER
Join or learn more ↗You do not need a cancer diagnosis to enroll.
The registry is open to active, former, and retired United States firefighters. Participation helps researchers understand how firefighter work and exposures relate to cancer.
06 // BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
You do not have to wait until it becomes a crisis.
Trauma, sleep problems, substance use, depression, and anxiety are health issues. Ask for help early. If a behavioral health or fitness for duty process could affect employment status, medical privacy, leave, or return to duty, contact the Local before signing releases or sending broad medical records.
IMMEDIATE CRISIS SUPPORTCall or text 988
Free and confidential support is available at any time. Call 911 for immediate physical danger or a medical emergency.
CALL 988 →FOR IAFF MEMBERSIAFF Center of ExcellenceSpecialized treatment for professional fire service members dealing with trauma, substance use, addiction, and related behavioral health concerns.
855 900 8437 ↗07 // FITNESS FOR DUTY AND RETURN TO WORK
Medical status and employment status can move on different tracks.
Workers compensation, sick leave, FMLA, disability, the ADA, Merit rules, and department procedures may overlap. The right answer depends on the member's position, appointment, medical restrictions, and controlling documents.
Get clear restrictions
Ask the clinician to state what the member can and cannot do, the expected duration, and the next evaluation date. Avoid vague notes that do not match the physical demands of the position.
Use the actual position
Firefighter and paramedic duties are not interchangeable. The treating professional should understand the essential functions, schedule, gear, driving, lifting, exposure, and emergency response demands.
Limit the disclosure
Provide the information required for the legitimate employment or benefit process. Do not send unrelated medical history through ordinary email or sign a broad release without understanding why it is needed.
Call before the conflict
Contact Local 4406 if restrictions are rejected, light duty changes, a fitness examination is ordered, leave is running out, or retirement and disability options are being discussed.
08 // OFFICIAL RESOURCES
Go back to the current source.
These links lead to the government agencies and programs responsible for the reporting rules, safety standards, benefits process, and firefighter research described on this page.
IOSHA
Report a fatality or severe injury
Indiana employer reporting instructions for a work related fatality, inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.
Official source ↗IOSHAFile a safety complaint
Indiana employees and their representatives can review the formal and nonformal complaint process.
Official source ↗WCBWorkers compensation help
Indiana Workers Compensation Board information for injured employees, forms, assistance, and hearings.
Official source ↗OSHAHeat illness first aid
Current federal first aid guidance for heat exhaustion, heat stroke, emergency cooling, and calling 911.
Official source ↗OSHACold stress guide
Federal guidance for preventing and recognizing hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, and other cold related injuries.
Official source ↗OSHABloodborne pathogen standard
The federal requirements for exposure control, hepatitis B vaccination, and confidential post exposure evaluation.
Official source ↗OSHARespiratory protection
The federal respiratory protection program, medical evaluation, fit testing, training, SCBA, and interior firefighting requirements.
Official source ↗NIOSHFirefighter cancer registry
The National Firefighter Registry for Cancer is open to active, former, and retired United States firefighters, with or without cancer.
Official source ↗NIOSHFatality and serious injury reports
Review Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program findings and prevention recommendations.
Official source ↗BRING THE LOCAL IN EARLY
Serious injury, exposure, restriction, or safety dispute?
Send the basic facts, the date, department, report or claim number, current work status, and the next deadline. Do not email unrelated medical records unless a Local representative asks for them through a secure method.
Last reviewed August 2026
General member education only. This page is not emergency dispatch, medical advice, legal advice, or an individual benefit determination. Call 911 for an emergency. Current law, medical direction, department procedures, plan documents, and individual facts control.