Parliament wants gov’t to intervene in fire brigade conditions test after deaths
The Tweede Kamer is demanding that the Dutch cabinet overhaul the controversial medical examinations for firefighters as quickly as possible after research revealed the tests triggered heart failure eight times and required resuscitation in four of those cases, RTL reported.
The exams, known as the PPMO, were introduced in 2011 and require firefighters to undergo physical and mental fitness testing every one, two, or four years. Critics say the method has wrongly prevented the hiring or caused the departure of hundreds of firefighters amid a nationwide shortage.
A study by the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV) showed that between 2019 and 2021, an average of 6% of volunteer firefighters left their posts annually across safety regions. With 19,900 volunteers nationwide, that amounts to roughly 1,200 departures per year. Twenty percent of those who quit cited the PPMO as the reason.
The tests have drawn criticism since their introduction. Firefighters have been rejected not for medical issues but for physical traits, such as tall men unable to crawl through a small tunnel or women failing a ball-carrying test.
In spring 2024, rejections created an acute staffing shortage in the Drenthe safety region, prompting the regional director to keep the rejected firefighters on duty.
An independent review by Ter Morsche Training & Advice examined the PPMO’s development, current implementation, and future improvements. The report confirmed rejections based on physical characteristics rather than medical necessity. It also found the tests are so physically demanding that they caused injuries, including eight instances of heart failure—four of which required resuscitation.
Researchers further noted inconsistencies due to varying administration methods and unclear guidelines, meaning the same person with the same medical condition could be approved in one region and rejected in another.
Multiple Tweede Kamer members reacted sharply to the findings. Songül Mutluer of the PRO party (formerly GroenLinks/PvdA) said she was shocked by the research results. “The PPMO must test whether firefighters can handle their work, but it may not deter people or pose a danger. That is unacceptable.”
CDA member Jeltje Straatman called the findings “very serious.” “It raises fundamental questions about the safety and substantiation of the current PPMO. If there are signals of serious medical incidents during or immediately after the PPMO, and at the same time suitable people are wrongly falling out, then that must be taken extremely seriously and investigated to the bottom.”
D66 lawmaker Mahjoub Mathlouti described the outcomes as shocking and sought clarification from the cabinet. “The examination has gone too far, so that must change. The unsafe elements must be removed.”
VVD member Claire Martens emphasized the need for all available firefighters. “We need everyone at the fire department badly. They do heavy and risky work, so strict health requirements are logical. But a test that leads to serious health incidents, such as heart problems, cannot. It must not be the case that people are deterred by this.”
Mutluer and Martens urged Justice and Security Minister Van Weel to end the current method immediately. Straatman added that risks, unequal outcomes, and insufficient oversight make a full reconsideration unavoidable.
“Firefighters must be able to trust a medical examination that is safe, does justice to the practice, and actually provides protection,” Straatman said.
