Pittsburgh firefighters OK random drug testing in new contract
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 3:40 pm | By: Radical Russ
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Pittsburgh firefighters soon will be randomly tested for drugs and can be fired for failing as part of the five-year contract agreed to by city and union officials last week, Public Safety Director Mike Huss said Monday.
“We still have the labor management committee working out the details, but at minimum, it will provide random testing for the first time,” Huss said. “They will immediately be terminated the next time there’s a problem.”
Joe King, president of the fire union, said random testing is the “prudent thing to do.”
“People in this society hold us to a higher standard and we agree, but it’s very complicated,” he said. “Everybody’s entitled to a second chance.”
State law says Pittsburgh firefighters can’t be fired unless the action is approved by a trial board of three other firefighters, something Huss said the city has “struggled with for a long time.” The new process will set aside the trial board for drug offenses only, he said.
“There are some cases we’ve been very frustrated with. It’s a small percentage, but we put a lot of trust in these folks and we have to make sure they’re clean and can function safely,” Huss said.
Let me get this straight. If Joe the Drunk Fireman who shows up for work hung over on alcohol and regularly violates some safety protocols, let’s say, then state law says that a board of three fellow firefighters must concur if the city wants to fire Joe. But if Bob the Pothead Fireman shows up for work completely sober every day and is a exemplary firefighter, only the positive result on a pee test is necessary if the city wants to fire Bob.
Pittsburgh’s firefighters will work a 24 hour shift followed by two days off. If we want to make sure they’re “clean and can function safely”, why do you have them working 24 hours at a time? Certainly they get the opportunity to sleep in the firehouse between calls, but on a busy day, isn’t it possible the firefighters wouldn’t be functioning safely due to drowsiness?
Furthermore, for the occasional user, especially a fit firefighter type with a high metabolism, most other drugs but cannabis will be undetectable after 24-48 hours. If Pittsburgh is really serious about making sure its firefighters can “function safely”, then it should employ simple non-invasive electronic testing that detects all forms of impairment regardless of source.
Hat tip to Dakota Gold for the newshawking!
Topics: firefighters, fireman, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
