Panel urges firefighter drug testing as part of overall wellness program

November 30, 2007 · Print This Article

In addition to random drug and alcohol testing, a panel examining substance abuse in the Boston Fire Department called today for the creation a health and wellness program to help firefighters deal with the dangers of their work.

The three-member panel of outside specialists made seven recommendations that include augmenting the fire commissioner’s civilian staff, creating a “credentialed professional development academy” for company and chief-level officers, and offering classes to nurture new leaders and prepare firefighters for promotional exams. Panel member James M. Shannon, president of the National Fire Protection Association, urged officials to adopt the recommendations as a whole, and not just focus on the recommendation to immediately begin random drug and alcohol testing.

“If all that comes out in this report — or that all that is covered in the media — is random drug testing, we will feel we have failed,” Shannon said at a press conference at City Hall. “Random drug testing must be part of an overall program of health and wellness … a new emphasis must be put on the total health and fitness of members of the department.”

Full entry

Tags: Ashland, Boston, boston legal, Weston, Natick, Matt Damon, Chatham, Wayland, Sudbury, boston globe, Medway, boston tea party, Millis, Stow, Foxborough