Firefighter qualifications.

No person shall be eligible to receive an original appointment as a firefighter in a fire department, subject to the civil service laws of this state, unless the person has reached the age of eighteen and has, not more than one hundred twenty days prior to receiving such appointment, passed a physical examination, given by a licensed physician, a physician assistant, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse practitioner, or a certified nurse-midwife, certifying that the applicant is free of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and showing that the person meets the physical requirements necessary to perform the duties of a firefighter as established by the civil service commission having jurisdiction over the appointment. The appointing authority shall, prior to making any such appointment, file with the Ohio police and fire pension fund a copy of the report or findings of said licensed physician, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner, or certified nurse-midwife. The professional fee for such physical examination shall be paid by the civil service commission. No person shall be eligible to receive an original appointment on and after the person's forty-first birthday. Notwithstanding this section, a municipal council may enact an ordinance providing that a person between the age of eighteen and forty may receive an original appointment to the fire department, or the board of trustees of a civil service township may do so by resolution. Nothing in this section shall prevent a municipal corporation or civil service township from establishing a fire cadet program and employing persons as fire cadets at age eighteen for the purpose of training persons to become firefighters. The board of trustees of a civil service township may establish by resolution such a cadet program. A person participating in a municipal or township fire cadet program shall not be permitted to carry or use any firearm in the performance of the person's duties.