To Drug Test Or Not? - Firefighter gets busted

[CYCLEON]

To Drug Test Or Not?
By SHEILA AHERN

Earlier this month a firefighter was charged with possession of a controlled substance, but the city is no closer to implementing random drug tests for its employees.

``I haven’t thought much about it,'' Mayor Roy Scott said. ``Right now, the only people that have to take (random drug tests) are people with CDL’s (commercial driver’s licenses).''

However, in June, Scott said he would not be against a random drug testing policy for all city employees.

``I think it’s a good possibility,'' Scott said at a Frankfort Board of Public Works and Safety meeting. ``It seems like everybody else is doing it and it’s the law.''

On Sept. 25, Frankfort Firefighter James S. Osbon, 49, 1257 Burlington Ave., was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Osbon, a former Frankfort fire chief, was charged after accepting 400 tablets of anabolic steroids, called methandrostenolone, packed in an envelope from Thailand.

The Indiana State Police were contacted by U.S. Customs agents on Sept. 24 about the package. It was addressed to Mr. Jim Osbon at his Frankfort address, according to the police affidavit.

Osbon’s charge was bumped from a Class D felony to a Class C felony because he lives within 1,000 feet of TPA Park. A jury trial is slated for Jan. 29.

On Oct. 12, Osbon was placed on administrative leave without pay by the Frankfort Board of Public Works and Safety pending the result of his criminal charges.

Osbon’s charge may not necessarily influence city employee policies, Scott added.

``Sure, I was concerned when I heard,'' Scott said about Osbon’s charge. ``But at this point we haven’t discussed it. To get this going, it would take some work.''

Fire Chief Chuck Toney said he would also not be against random drug testing.

``We are public servants who report to the public,'' Toney said. ``I’m not opposed to it at all.''

Firefighters are given a drug screening when they are first hired, Toney added.

Currently, only the utility and street department employees participate in random drug tests because those employees use commercial driver’s licenses.

Both the street department and the utility employees use a company called Midwest Toxicology, Indianapolis, for their random drug testing.

[PaPaPumP]

Guess I ain't gonna be a firefighter.

[dane26]

why can't they just leave people alone? it's not like he was blowing lines driving the ladder truck. if i'm passed out in a burning building, i WANT the firefighter who gets to me to juiced up! what's a 170 lb guy gonna do? wish me to safety? it doesn't work like that.

[TNT]

Originally in the article quoted by CYCLEON
Frankfort Firefighter James S. Osbon . . . was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Osbon, a former Frankfort fire chief, was charged after accepting 400 tablets of anabolic steroids, called methandrostenolone, packed in an envelope from Thailand. The Indiana State Police were contacted by U.S. Customs agents on Sept. 24 about the package . . .
Currently, only the utility and street department employees participate in random drug tests because those employees use commercial driver’s licenses . . .

Apparently, what kicked the action against Osborne was not a random drug test, but what the law calls "reasonable suspicion" - the tracking of the envelope from Thailand.

Even if there were a random policy in place (and many cities do have such a policy for law encorcement and fire personnel, such drug tests generally do not include testing for AS.

Since I hold a CDL, I have been randomized in the past (most recently a few weeks ago), and the issue of AS never arises. Why? Because CDL holders are given a "five-panel" drug test, which looks only for THC (the primary ingredient in marijuana), opiates (including codeine-based drugs), PCP, amphetamines, and cocaine. Tests are required on a pre-employment, post-accident, random, return-to-duty, and reasonable suspicion basis. The random rule dictates that 50% of a company's drivers must be tested for controlled substances per year, and 10% of a company's drivers must be tested for alcohol (blood alcohol content) per year, although a small company may have its drivers join a consortium (larger pool made up of drivers from several companies).

In short, if the city tested Osborne for AS, it is because they had reasonable suspicion (the package), not because it was a normal part of the testing process.

The fact that the article mentioned CDL holders is irrelevant to the body of the story, since drug and alcohol testing for CDL holders is dictated by the U.S. Departmet of Transportation, a federal agency. Random or other tests for law enforcement officers, firefighters, or any other person (including persons employed by private companies that have testing policies) are established by the individual agencies or companies.

[Iwan2bsolid2]

Originally posted by dane26
why can't they just leave people alone? it's not like he was blowing lines driving the ladder truck. if i'm passed out in a burning building, i WANT the firefighter who gets to me to juiced up! what's a 170 lb guy gonna do? wish me to safety? it doesn't work like that.

^ SERIOUSLY, I don't understand why the big deal about enhancing our bodies...

were not selling crack to kids, I know that if put in the wrong hands it could cause harm, but shit so can just about anything.

_SOLID

[partyboynyc]

yo when that mayor's house burns down you knwo which firefighters will take their time getting there.i learned a good lesson in life early:give to your municipalities protection agencies(police,firefighters, emt's) and vote for your local politicians in your political party!i have gotten help from senators for my family and you knwo they checked my voting record before they did anything!!take care of the people who take care of you!

[RON]

Originally posted by dane26
if i'm passed out in a burning building, i WANT the firefighter who gets to me to juiced up! what's a 170 lb guy gonna do? wish me to safety? it doesn't work like that.

I agree fully Police too.

[juiceon]

It is a joke on the city and our political and legal systems that the press and the mayor are discussing drug tests that do not detect steroids in a story about a guy busted for possessing steroids. How could anyone agrue that they don't have their heads up their asses? This is exactly the kind of nonsence that leads to laws of all kinds that restrict our freedoms, for which we pay our tax dollars to hire police to enforce. That is so fucked up! These no-lifes point their little fucking fingers at some "bad guy" so they can feel rightous about themselves. If it was not steroids it would be something else. What a waste.

[partyboynyc]

they raid the clubs for drugs and close them down when are the real drugs are in the political offices and on wall street.it's bullshit!!

[THE JU-ICE]

I just don't see whats wrong with a little self enhancement. Police and Fire should be allowed to spike it. This guy i n the article was older and if needed to gear up to perform better they should let him. As always freedom of the press just embarassed a public servant who was there to help. God forbid they let a fireman get bigger and stronger.

[dane26]

this still makes me sick. the city should supply those guys with gear

[RON]

Originally posted by dane26
this still makes me sick. the city should supply those guys with gear

Then we would all be firemen

[dane26]

[Keywestlifter]

Unfortunately it isn't the issue of fitness that matters. I am a Paramedic and have worked for county/city goverments over the years. The issue when working as a public servant is ethics. Ofcoarse theres a great deal of misconception overall in the publics view of Steriod use. The fact is it is illegal without a doctors perscription. And because of ignorance, they would easily perceive steriod use in the same catagory as cocaine and/or other hard drugs. I had a real drug addict look at me with discus couple weeks ago and say " your not on steriods are you". The public view with the firefighters violation of a Law would be " if he does steriods illegally then what would he do next, would he lie, steal, or use other drugs". Most county/city burocrats are anal retintive and are easily willing to fry a servant to be perceived as the savior of public interest. Trust me I know.

Peace

[partyboynyc]

i think our public servants should be drug tested for everything.they all want to be held at a higher standard for the positions they hold so they should be watched under a microscope.i guess if that were teh case though, coke fiend President Bush wouldn't be in office he'd just be doing rails in the Texas Rangers office.i know alot of guys here joke like, hey i want the biggest cop to save me blah blah blah, but do you want pyschologically distraught police officers who can't hold their drug use answering your next 911 call?hey, i'm all about gear and i use certain drugs myself, but i won't be the one that saves your family from your houses when it's burning to the ground either.police officers, firefighters, EMTS,political officers all think they wear an "S" on their chests in their own mind, well i don't want that mind diminished by drug abuse of any kind.just my opinion.