First batch of random drug tests for firefighters comes back clean

The long-anticipated testing began with little fanfare Sept. 23, when 20 firefighters at three firehouses submitted to breathalyzers and urine tests. The breathalyzers provide instant results for alcohol. Urine is sent to an out-of-state laboratory and analyzed for a spectrum of drugs.

The department released the results yesterday in response to a Freedom of Information request made by the Globe. The Fire Department had declined to release the results without a formal records request because of the privacy of the individuals who were tested, said the spokesman, Steve MacDonald.

The 50 firefighters were randomly tested in the first two weeks of the new program, which will become part of the routine at the Fire Department. Engine and ladder companies are selected at random by computer day or night, on weekends and holidays. Without warning, unmarked trucks arrive at firehouses.

The screening by Occupational Drug Testing LLC detects marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCP, opiates, and alcohol. If firefighters test positive, they are suspended without pay for 30 days and must complete a treatment program to return to duty. A second positive allows for dismissal.

Administrators have urged firefighters with addictions to come forward and seek help before being tested. Fire Commissioner Roderick J. Fraser Jr. has said that the goal of the program is not to fire people.

The push for random drug and alcohol testing in the Fire Department became a significant issue in 2007 after a blaze at the Tai Ho Mandarin and Cantonese Restaurant in West Roxbury killed two firefighters. Autopsy results showed that the two men may have been impaired.

One firefighter had traces of cocaine in his system, and the other had a blood-alcohol content of 0.27, more than three times the state’s legal limit.

Andrew Ryan can be reached at acryan@globe.com.