40 Boston Firefighters Tested for Drugs This Year

Forty firefighters suspected of drug abuse have been tested this year - three of whom later quit, city officials revealed amid a probe of whether two jakes killed battling an Aug. 29 blaze were impaired as they responded to the call.

Since January, the Boston Fire Department has given 71 drug tests to 40 firefighters. The department does not have mandatory or random testing and orders drug tests only when there is "reasonable suspicion."

Some of the firefighters were tested more than once, but officials did not disclose how many positive tests there were other than to say that three of those tested later resigned. Resignation is an option given to firefighters who face termination after a second positive test, said BFD spokesman Steve MacDonald.

Drug and alcohol testing in the BFD has become a central issue after three city officials briefed on toxicology reports told the Herald that fallen firefighter Paul Cahill was legally drunk when he died battling a blaze at the Tai Ho restaurant Aug. 29. The other firefighter killed in the blaze, Warren Payne, had traces of cocaine and marijuana in his system, according to sources briefed on the toxicology reports.

A 1999 city-commissioned report recommended mandatory random drug and alcohol testing for firefighters - as is done in the Police Department - and noted complaints about substance abuse within the BFD. Sam Tyler, head of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, a city watchdog agency, said the report's findings were never implemented and "certainly need to be reconsidered."

"This was important, not only in terms of safety of fellow firefighters, but also for the safety of the public," Tyler said. "We're sort of paying the price with a department with an embedded culture that resists change."

The Firefighters Union Local 718, which has refused to address the situation publicly, is currently in negotiations with the city. Drug testing is expected to be a crucial issue, especially since the newly negotiated police contract has strengthened that department's already strict policy. The new police contract requires that any officer who fails a drug test - which is done through a hair sample - is subject to random urinalysis for the remainder of his or her career.

"Enhanced drug testing is certainly on the city's agenda," Tyler said. "The firefighters have to realize this is for the safety of their department, as well as for the greater public good."

Meanwhile, several city councilors said they want a full investigation, including looking at commanders on duty the night of the fire and whether they suspected or knew that the fallen firefighters were impaired.

"There needs to be an investigation of all aspects," Councilor Chuck Turner said. "One question is, What's happening in the station houses? It does raise questions about awareness and the readiness of the men and women on the job."

Councilor Steve Murphy, chairman of the board's Public Safety Committee, said he wants to wait to see the toxicology reports before exploring who's to blame.

"We're going to have discussions about the whole situation, including what the rules and protocols are and what improvements they might need. Obviously, it looks like they may," Murphy said.

Republished with permission of The Boston Herald.