Out Of More Than 1,000, 2 Boston Firefighters Test Positive For Drugs

In the six months since Boston began randomly testing its firefighters, just two have tested positive for illegal drugs, according to the department.

That's two positive results out of more than 1,000 drug tests conducted since September.

"No surprise whatsoever," said Rich Paris, the president of the Boston Firefighters Union. He says union members were never worried about the results.

"I knew our guys were always clean, drug- and alcohol-free. We had no problem with drug testing."

In exchange for testing, an arbitrator last year granted the firefighters a 19 percent retroactive raise.

The two firefighters who failed the tests both received 30-day suspensions, and the union says neither has tested positive again.

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