Everett Firefighters Local #46 (IAFF) 4/2/2026

56 resource will not interfere with an employee’s continued employment. Employees who voluntarily come forward and ask for assistance to deal with a drug and/or alcohol problem shall not be disciplined by the City. Policies and procedures related to the confidentiality of personal medical information will be maintained at all times. Section 5 Employee Testing Unless otherwise required by law, or as required by sections 12 or 15 of this article, employees shall not be subject to random urine testing or blood testing or other similar or related tests for the purpose of discovering possible drug or alcohol abuse. 5.1 Reasonable Suspicion Testing If the City has reasonable suspicion to believe an employee's work performance is impaired due to drug or alcohol use, the City may require the employee to undergo a drug and/or alcohol test consistent with the conditions set forth in this article. Reasonable suspicion for the purposes of this article is defined as follows: the City's determination that reasonable suspicion exists shall be based on specific, articulated observations concerning the appearance, behavior, speech or body odors of an employee and shall include, as a minimum, a written report documenting objective, measurable changes in an employee's work performance due to unauthorized drug or alcohol use by two (2) observers who have had an adequate opportunity to observe these changes. Any member who refuses to comply with this article shall be removed from duty immediately and may be subject to disciplinary action. 5.2 Post-Incident/Accident Testing Employees will be required to undergo urine and breath testing if they are involved in an incident/accident with a City vehicle that results in a fatality or bodily injuries requiring transport for medical treatment. Following an incident/accident, the employee will be tested as soon as possible, but not to exceed 8 hours from the time of the accident for alcohol testing and 32 hours from the time of the accident for drug testing. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the delay of necessary medical attention for the injured employee following an accident or to prohibit an employee from leaving the scene of an accident for the period necessary to obtain assistance in responding to the accident or to obtain necessary emergency medical care. 5.3 Positive Test Results All positive test results shall be reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (MRO) who shall be a licensed physician with knowledge of substance abuse disorders. The MRO shall review and interpret confirmed positive urine test results from the laboratory and shall examine alternative medical explanations for such positive tests. Prior to the MRO’s final decision to verify positive urine drug test results, the employee shall have the opportunity to discuss the results with the MRO. If the employee does not discuss the results of the positive urine drug test with the MRO within 72 hours after being contacted, or refuses the opportunity to do so, the MRO shall proceed with the positive verification. Section 6 Sample Collection The collection and testing of samples shall be performed only by a laboratory and by a physician or health care professional qualified and authorized to administer and determine the meaning of any test results. The laboratory performing the test shall be one that is certified by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Collection of blood or urine samples shall be conducted in a manner which provides for the highest, reasonable degree of security for the sample and freedom from adulteration. Blood or urine samples will be submitted as per NIDA standards including the recognized chain of custody procedures. Employees have the right for Union representation to be present. Employees shall not be witnessed while submitting a urine specimen. Prior to submitting to a urine or blood sample, the employee will be required to sign a consent and release form as