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Hillsborough firefighters will face random drug tests under new contract

Five employees will be randomly selected every two weeks and tested for drugs.

Hillsborough County firefighters just agreed to a new three-year contract, and part of that deal also calls for new random drug testing.

For years, Hillsborough firefighters knew when it was coming.

Every six months, there was a round of hundreds of drug tests that a small handful would likely prepare for by laying off drugs or alcohol long enough to pass the test.

Now, they won’t know if or when they could be asked to provide a sample.

“Firefighters want to be sure that they’re doing everything that they can on their end of it to make sure that they’re getting the best service for the citizens,” said union spokesman Travis Horn.

Instead of everyone, five employees will be randomly selected every two weeks and tested for drugs.

Union members at first opposed the idea, insisting top brass be subjected to the same random testing. Eventually, the chiefs agreed.

“Let’s do it from the top down,” said Horn. “If it’s good for the rank-and-file, it’s good for the chiefs.”

Hillsborough County commissioners pushed for the random tests after a Tampa Bay Times investigation this year exposed several drug- and alcohol-related incidents among Hillsborough County firefighters and workers.

RELATED: Hillsborough Co. firefighters frustrated by department leadership and low morale, survey finds

Horn points out it’s an issue seen in other workplaces as well, but here, it’s a public safety concern.

“Some people get away with going to work high in certain environments,” said Hillsborough resident Roxanne Pelletier, “But as a firefighter, no, that should never happen.”

The new policy means a lot fewer employees will be tested - about 130 per year - whereas under the old, more predictable system, all roughly 1,000 employees of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue would have to undergo some sort of test.

“Even if it is fewer people, I think the more logical decision would be to do a random period,” said Hillsborough resident Azziel Arteja.

Keri Laurenti feels like the agency should be able to police itself without random drug tests.

“I mean, any other job you’re expected not to do drugs, you know?” she said, “So, I think being a firefighter is no different.”

Many large departments test for drugs and alcohol, but Hillsborough’s random tests will concentrate only on drugs. The tests, says Horn, are really secondary anyway to the self-policing they perform to keep the public -- and themselves – safe.

“Firefighters recognize that they have a unique responsibility out there saving lives,” said Horn. “They know that you can’t operate in an ecosystem while you’re a substance abuser.”

Under the new contract, anyone who fails the random drug test has to enter a rehab program. If they fail a second time, it’s grounds for firing.

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