NY Daily News
NEW YORK — EMTs or paramedics who fail a drug test or refuse to provide a sample can be fired immediately by the Fire Commissioner without regard to any job protections in their union contract, an appellate court has ruled.
The Appellate Division in Manhattan said Tuesday that the city charter gives the Fire Department the right to enforce its “zero tolerance” rule against illegal drug use by paramedics and emergency medical technicians.
“Paramedics and EMTs are responsible for making split second decisions about medical care, often in life or death situations, and must be fully alert....The risk of driving an ambulance at high speeds while under the influence of drugs needs no elaboration,” the judges wrote.
Full story: City EMS workers allowed to be fired immediately for refusing, failing drug test, rules court