Published: 01/03/2008 City pushes forward with drug testing By Stacie N. Galang Staff writer
PEABODY - The city will start random drug testing of firefighters this month despite a monthslong standoff with the union over the company picked to conduct the work.
Union President James Lendall said yesterday that firefighters have no qualms with the drug testing. They simply object to the city's chosen company because of past irregularities in Peabody, he said. "We're all for it (drug testing), we just want it to be done right," Lendall said. "I'm not saying the last company didn't do it right. I'm saying there were problems." Both sides described talks as friendly but remain at odds on the company selected. Neither the chief nor the union would name the company. Nevertheless, fire Chief Steven Pasdon said yesterday that the random drug testing is imminent, although he does not have a specific start date. The random drug testing comes as a result of firefighter John Brophy Jr. sleeping through a 911 call in March 2005. It was the last in a series of infractions the firefighter had been handed, including a positive drug test the summer prior. Brophy challenged the drug test, which was ruled improper in court. The city was eventually ordered to rehire Brophy but has since appealed, leaving the firefighter's fate in limbo until the case is decided. The court also outlined the drug-testing procedure the city is starting. Union officials have agreed to all but the one issue, saying the courts gave them a say in the company. They want the city to use the same company contracted by the state to test commercial drivers. "We want to have a say in it," Lendall said. But Pasdon said the judge's ruling only allowed the union to weigh in on the laboratory picked to analyze the hair samples and not the company. "The issues, I believe, are ill-perceived," Pasdon said. "The vendor is the vendor is the vendor." Pasdon had hoped to get the random drug testing off the ground in November until negotiations stalled on the company. "We understand they have concerns, and the concerns have been addressed," he said. The chief said the testing will be done bimonthly and affect up to nine firefighters each round. In the course of the year, the number of tests will total 50 percent of the department. The vendor will pick the firefighters at random using an employee number, the chief said. Every firefighter is included in each of the year's six testing pools even if tested in a previous lot.
"The same names have to go back in to make the drawing fair and equitable," Pasdon said. The city can also ask for drug tests for a number of other reasons like promotion, a safety violation or being out of work more than 90 days. In the past, drug-testing policy was tied to Civil Service, did not allow random testing and did not specify the test. The chief remains steadfast in the city's choice of vendor, which he says is local. The firefighters' preference would send employees out of the area. Pasdon said the city must pay for the employee's time to and from the test. "It's far from here," the chief said. "I'm not going to send my employee 20 miles to another location when I have a vendor right here in town."
Posted by: LawMan3
I agree with the random drug testing. After seeing what happened to those two guys in boston not too long ago, it needs to be done. Being a call FF, I think all FFs should undergo drug testing, both at the fulltime and call levels. FT FFs that live at the firehouse should undergo testing once in awhile to make sure they're not taking any job-detrimental drugs, and especially call FFs because they never know when the next call is gonna be. Druggies are the last thing the fire service needs, and the issue needs to be nipped in the bud.
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