Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta is reportedly considering a tough new crackdown on firefighters who abuse alcohol.
According to Monday?s edition of the Daily News, the proposed policy calls for firefighters to be fired if they're caught drinking on duty or if they're busted three times for drunk driving. Scoppetta tells the paper the current rules are ambiguous and tough to enforce.
However, according to the News, the firefighters union questions whether the commissioner has the authority to fire members for off-duty drinking.
An attempt to revamp the current system is already underway. Last week, Scoppetta appointed a panel headed by FDNY Chief of Operations Sal Cassano to review the issue.
The move comes after a series of alcohol-related incidents this year involving firefighters, including a crash back in April that killed a teenager. An off-duty firefighter was arraigned for DWI in connection with that incident.
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