Chicago firefighters and paramedics have joined the city's new wellness initiative, a major step forward for the new program that is projected to save more than $20 million for the city in the 2012 budget, according to a press release from city hall.

The move adds more than 5,100 uniformed firefighters and paramedics and more than 3,400 covered spouses, for a total of approximately 8,600 additional lives for the program. This brings the total number of people in the wellness program to more than 35,000. The cost savings from the wellness program are estimated at $20 million in 2012.

"Everyone understands how dangerous our job is, but many people dont know that because of the stress of our work environment, we are substantially more likely to suffer from job-related health issues, Tom Ryan, president of Chicago Firefighters Local 2," said in a statement. "Preventative health and wellness has always been a top priority for Local 2 and weve conducted health fairs for our members for years. We look forward to participating in this new initiative. We hope it helps improve the overall health of our members as well as all others involved. This program is an extension of what we have already been doing, so it makes good sense for us to be a part of the Mayors Wellness program."

The union requested a provision in the wellness program that offers firefighters additional specific testing related to firefighter toxicity risk, a crucial test that will help ensure firefighters are staying safe relative to the endemic risks they face through their work.