diff --git a/changes/8952.firstframe.rst b/changes/8952.firstframe.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ff41581d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/8952.firstframe.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Update the firstframe step to optionally not flag when a ramp saturates in group 3
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/jwst/firstframe/arguments.rst b/docs/jwst/firstframe/arguments.rst
index e0d91688e0..0bbf2623f6 100644
--- a/docs/jwst/firstframe/arguments.rst
+++ b/docs/jwst/firstframe/arguments.rst
@@ -1,4 +1,13 @@
 Step Arguments
 ==============
 
-The first frame correction has no step-specific arguments.
+The ``firstframe`` step has the following step-specific arguments.
+
+``--bright_use_group1`` (boolean, default=False)
+    If True, setting the group 1 groupdq to DO_NOT_USE will not be done 
+    for pixels that have the saturation flag set for group 3.  
+    This will allow a slope to be determined for pixels that saturate in group 3.
+    This change in flagging will only impact pixels that saturate in group 3, the behavior
+    for all other pixels will be unchanged.
+    The `bright_use_group1` flag can be set for all data, only data/pixels that saturate 
+    in group 3 will see a difference in behavior.
diff --git a/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_step.py b/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_step.py
index 47e9fcb72b..0e4d593b01 100755
--- a/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_step.py
+++ b/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_step.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ class FirstFrameStep(Step):
     class_alias = "firstframe"
 
     spec = """
+        bright_use_group1 = boolean(default=False) # do not flag group1 if group3 is saturated   
     """
 
     def process(self, step_input):
@@ -25,16 +26,18 @@ def process(self, step_input):
 
             # check the data is MIRI data
             detector = input_model.meta.instrument.detector.upper()
-            if detector[:3] != 'MIR':
-                self.log.warning('First Frame Correction is only for MIRI data')
-                self.log.warning('First frame step will be skipped')
-                input_model.meta.cal_step.firstframe = 'SKIPPED'
+            if detector[:3] != "MIR":
+                self.log.warning("First Frame Correction is only for MIRI data")
+                self.log.warning("First frame step will be skipped")
+                input_model.meta.cal_step.firstframe = "SKIPPED"
                 return input_model
 
             # Cork on a copy
             result = input_model.copy()
 
             # Do the firstframe correction subtraction
-            result = firstframe_sub.do_correction(result)
+            result = firstframe_sub.do_correction(
+                result, bright_use_group1=self.bright_use_group1
+            )
 
         return result
diff --git a/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_sub.py b/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_sub.py
index a535fb203e..401904fa10 100644
--- a/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_sub.py
+++ b/jwst/firstframe/firstframe_sub.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 log.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
 
 
-def do_correction(output):
+def do_correction(output, bright_use_group1=False):
     """
     Short Summary
     -------------
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ def do_correction(output):
     ----------
     output: data model object
         science data to be corrected
+    bright_use_group1: boolean
+        do not flag group1 for bright pixels = group 3 saturated
 
     Returns
     -------
@@ -36,13 +38,29 @@ def do_correction(output):
     # Update the step status, and if ngroups > 3, set all GROUPDQ in
     # the first group to 'DO_NOT_USE'
     if sci_ngroups > 3:
-        output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :] = \
-            np.bitwise_or(output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :], dqflags.group['DO_NOT_USE'])
+        if bright_use_group1:
+            # do not set DO_NOT_USE in the case where saturation happens in
+            # group3 as in this case the first frame effect is small compared to the
+            # signal in group2-group1
+            svals = (output.groupdq[:, 2, :, :] & dqflags.group["SATURATED"]) > 0
+            tvals = output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :]
+            tvals[~svals] = np.bitwise_or(
+                (output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :])[~svals], dqflags.group["DO_NOT_USE"]
+            )
+            output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :] = tvals
+            log.info(
+                f"FirstFrame Sub: bright_first_frame set, #{np.sum(svals)} bright pixels group1 not set to DO_NOT_USE"
+            )
+        else:
+            output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :] = np.bitwise_or(
+                output.groupdq[:, 0, :, :], dqflags.group["DO_NOT_USE"]
+            )
+
         log.debug("FirstFrame Sub: resetting GROUPDQ in first frame to DO_NOT_USE")
-        output.meta.cal_step.firstframe = 'COMPLETE'
-    else:   # too few groups
+        output.meta.cal_step.firstframe = "COMPLETE"
+    else:  # too few groups
         log.warning("Too few groups to apply correction")
         log.warning("Step will be skipped")
-        output.meta.cal_step.firstframe = 'SKIPPED'
+        output.meta.cal_step.firstframe = "SKIPPED"
 
     return output
diff --git a/jwst/firstframe/tests/test_firstframe.py b/jwst/firstframe/tests/test_firstframe.py
index 7d48d5bfce..9cf4437fad 100644
--- a/jwst/firstframe/tests/test_firstframe.py
+++ b/jwst/firstframe/tests/test_firstframe.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 def test_firstframe_set_groupdq():
     """
     Test if the firstframe code set the groupdq flag on the first
-    group to 'do_not_use' for 5 integrations
+    group to 'do_not_use' for 5 groups
     """
 
     # size of integration
@@ -216,3 +216,60 @@ def test_miri():
                                   dq_diff,
                                   err_msg='Diff in groupdq flags is not '
                                           + 'equal to DO_NOT_USE')
+
+
+def test_firstframe_bright_use_group1():
+    """
+    Test if the firstframe code when bright_use_group1 is set to True.
+    
+    The groupdq flag for group 1 should not be set to DO_NOT_USE for the pixels that saturate 
+    the 3rd group.  Otherwise, all other pixels should have their group1 groupdq 
+    flags set to DO_NOT_USE.
+    """
+
+    # size of integration
+    ngroups = 5
+    xsize = 1032
+    ysize = 1024
+
+    # create the data and groupdq arrays
+    csize = (1, ngroups, ysize, xsize)
+    data = np.full(csize, 1.0)
+    groupdq = np.zeros(csize, dtype=int)
+
+    # set a fraction of the pixels to saturate in between the 2nd and 3rd groups
+    groupdq[0, 2, 0:100, :] = dqflags.group['SATURATED']
+
+    # set a fraction of the pixels to saturate in between the 1st and 2nd groups
+    groupdq[0, 2, 200:300, :] = dqflags.group['SATURATED']
+    groupdq[0, 1, 200:300, :] = dqflags.group['SATURATED']
+
+    # create a JWST datamodel for MIRI data
+    dm_ramp = RampModel(data=data, groupdq=groupdq)
+
+    # run the first frame correction step on a copy (the detection to make the copy or
+    # not would have happened at _step.py)
+    dm_ramp_firstframe = do_correction(dm_ramp.copy(), bright_use_group1=True)
+
+    # check that the difference in the groupdq flags is equal to
+    #   the 'do_not_use' flag
+    dq_diff = dm_ramp_firstframe.groupdq[0, 0, :, :] - dm_ramp.groupdq[0, 0, :, :]
+    
+    expected_diff = np.full((ysize, xsize), dqflags.group['DO_NOT_USE'], dtype=int)
+    expected_diff[0:100, :] = 0
+    expected_diff[200:300, :] = 0
+
+    np.testing.assert_array_equal(expected_diff,
+                                  dq_diff,
+                                  err_msg='Diff in groupdq flags is not '
+                                  + 'equal to the DO_NOT_USE flag')
+
+    # test that the groupdq flags are not changed for the rest of the groups
+    dq_diff = (dm_ramp_firstframe.groupdq[0, 1:ngroups, :, :]
+               - dm_ramp.groupdq[0, 1:ngroups, :, :])
+    np.testing.assert_array_equal(np.full((ngroups - 1, ysize, xsize),
+                                          0,
+                                          dtype=int),
+                                  dq_diff,
+                                  err_msg='n >= 2 groupdq flags changes '
+                                  + 'and they should not be')
\ No newline at end of file