ALDERMEN SEEK RANDOM DRUG TESTING FOR FIREFIGHTERS

On the heels of several embarrassing and highly publicized drinking
scandals in the Chicago Fire Department, two aldermen on Friday said
they plan to introduce legislation that would require random drug and
alcohol testing for firefighters and paramedics.

Aldermen William Beavers (7th) and Virginia Rugai (19th) said their
proposed ordinance would include a "zero-tolerance" policy toward
drugs. It would scrap the fire department's second-chance policy,
which affords firefighters and paramedics a year's probation when they
are caught using alcohol and drugs on the job.

"It's time because they've been going too long and they've been
getting away with too much," Beavers said. "We have a real serious
problem with drugs and alcohol in the fire department."

The push by the two aldermen comes as the fire department has been
battered by criticism that it is insular and racist and as Mayor
Richard Daley has demonstrated an appetite for change in the department.

For one thing, Daley believes that the city's 4,200 firefighters don't
have enough to do because the number of fires has been declining for
years. Earlier this year, his administration announced it would hire a
consulting firm to analyze the department's management structure, a
report that many believe will become a blueprint for a shakeup.

Daley's concerns about the department have been exacerbated by
scandals that have come to light in the last six months. Last
November, a 7-year-old videotape from a firehouse retirement party
surfaced that showed firefighters drinking beer, exposing themselves
and singing racial slurs.

Earlier this week, the Tribune reported that a paramedic was drunk
when he crashed an ambulance into a school bus filled with children on
the South Side but that he is eligible for a second chance under
department policies.

Although the scandals have embarrassed the mayor, they may give him
added leverage going into contract negotiations with the Chicago Fire
Fighters Union. The current contract expires June 30, 1999.

The proposed ordinance is expected to be introduced at next week's
City Council meeting.

On Friday, a spokesman for the mayor said Daley supports random drug
and alcohol testing in the fire department and has already instructed
his negotiating team to push for it in the next contract. Fire
Commissioner Edward Altman, through a spokesman, said he, too,
supports random testing.

Rugai said the idea for the proposed ordinance came from firefighters
in her Southwest Side ward, home to about 1,000 firefighters and paramedics.
"These are very important positions, and I think we have to make sure
that the firefighters, paramedics or police officers that are going
out on our behalf are in fact sober, straight and not under the
influence of any drugs or alcohol," Rugai said.

Beavers added that drug and alcohol use "affects the good
firefighters."

"You go into a fire with a drughead, he doesn't know whether it's a
fire or not, so he can't protect himself and he can't protect you,"
Beavers said. "It's the same thing with a person under the influence
of alcohol."

Even if the ordinance passes, its effect will be questionable because
any changes in the fire department's drug and alcohol policy will have
to be negotiated with the firefighters union, which opposes the idea.
The proposed ordinance was derided as grandstanding by Robert S.
Sugarman, an attorney for the union.

"I don't think it is appropriate for the (Daley) administration or the
council to overreact every time the media makes a big issue of
something," said Sugarman.

He said he didn't see a need for random testing because he believes
that the department's existing policies are adequate and that drug and
alcohol problems had significantly decreased over the years.

Sugarman also contended that random drug and alcohol testing intruded
on privacy rights and would cost taxpayers too much money.
"Those things are not cheap," he said.

Currently, the department conducts random drug tests on job candidates
three times before they can enter the Chicago Fire Academy, said
department spokesman Chief Stanley Span. During their four months at
the academy, recruits are given random drug tests three or four more
times, Span said.

Firefighters then are given one more random test at the end of their
one-year probationary period, he said.

Once the probationary period is completed, firefighters and paramedics
can be tested for drugs and alcohol for the following reasons: if they
are found unfit for duty by two chiefs; if they crash or are in an
accident in a department vehicle and there are injuries or significant
damage; if they are on leave for 30 days or more; or if they are promoted.
The Chicago Police Department, by comparison, conducts random drug
tests on its officers and orders sobriety tests on them if there is
probable cause to do so, officials said.

Beavers said the fire department's existing drug and alcohol tests are
inadequate, and he described the second-chance policy as
"ridiculous."

"As you can see by what happened the other day, when a drunk paramedic
runs into a school bus and they can't fire him, you know something is
wrong with the policy," Beavers said.

Checked-by: trikydik@inil.com (trikydik)