First Massachusetts firefighter fired for smoking Huge Hurl Alert

Boston.com ^ | 31 October 2002

[SheLion]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) A Springfield firefighter is the first in the state to be fired under a state law prohibiting firefighters and police officers from smoking, on or off the job.

John S. Marrero, 25, was smoking when a trooper arrested him on July 22 for driving erratically, the Springfield Fire Commission found. He also faces criminal charges of possession of crack cocaine and Oxycontin and several motor vehicle violations.

[SheLion]

Oh! We can't have FIREMAN smoking, can WE????? ugh!!!!

Firefighters who are caught should be given assistance to help them kick the habit .

OH GIVE ME A BREAK!

[SheLion]

who is caught smoking tobacco products on or off duty.

OFF DUTY?!!!!!!>

[chance33_98]

Your up early :)

[SheLion]

Your up early :)

geeze louise......I been up all night. Couldn't sleep............I saw YOU in here too, in the middle of the night!!!!

[chance33_98]

I am at work, mid-noon, so I have all night to post away :)

[freeper12]

Yea...but you failed to emphasize this point:

>>The law was enacted under a pension reform measure which automatically presumes that heart ailments for police and firefighters are job-related disabilities.

If F and cops want to be able to claim any ailment is service related, then I damn well want to know that they aren't causing this themselves...why should I, as a taxpayer, pay a cop/firefighters salary for the rest of his life if he develops lung cancer from smoking??

There are so many freaking cops and firefighters out on fake disabilities that it makes me sick to think about it...I know one, a young guy, claims he hurt his back on the job...now he'll collect his salary, tax free, for the next 50+ years at our expense...never mind the fact that he now runs his own business and has been vidoetaped by undercover investigators doing things like moving 300lb safes to the dump. Totally bogus...gives good cops and ff's a bad name...unfortunately, the unions won't do anything about it and they ALWAYS support the bogus diabaility claims and thus they are all tarnished IMO.

[putupon]

automatically presumes that heart ailments for police and firefighters are job-related disabilities

same in VA; give up the benefit and smoke to your heart's discontent. I can't believe MA beat us on a common sense law. Municipal govt set the policy here, mine says no smoking, but half the LEOs live in my neighborhood and I see some of them cheating all the time. The best thing would just be to give up the benefit.

[blackdog]

A public employee has never given much care to individual rights. They worship over-reaching government. I am glad to see them bitten by the monster they pray to. Welcome to our world!

[Great Dane]

.why should I, as a taxpayer, pay a cop/firefighters salary for the rest of his life if he develops lung cancer from smoking??

How many times do we have to tell you and other fanatics that smokers more than pay for their own illnesses, thats what the settlement and extremely high cigarette taxes are all about, so you can stop with the propaganda.

[per loin]

It is now becoming apparent that being fat is a huge health detriment. Should all fat people be fired from government jobs?

[jwalsh07]

Cheating? Why don't you rat them out?

Then you can follow them around and make sure they are wearing condoms when they have sex, don't have more than two drinks per day, never drive above the speed limit, stay the hell out of fastfood restaraunts, wear helmets and shin guards when they ride their bicycles and make damn sure they never, ever eat redmeat while diving or freefalling.

[Just another Joe]

why should I, as a taxpayer, pay a cop/firefighters salary for the rest of his life if he develops lung cancer from smoking??

Why should you, as a taxpayer, pay welfare to a no good for nothing that hasn't worked more than two weeks in twenty years AND have to pay for their children as well?

If you want to go to the realm of personal responsibility, you'll be going a long way.

[putupon]

Cheating? Why don't you rat them out?

I'm not a rat, even though when a cop has a heart attack over something he caused himeself, whether on or off the job, he gets full disbility, and its MY MONEY that pays for it.

I don't care if the cop smokes, he just shouldn't get special privileges.

[jwalsh07]

I don't care if the cop smokes, he just shouldn't get special privileges.

What special privileges? Smokers already pay exorbitant taxes and die early which menas they are not a net drain on the treasury but a net gain. In other words they are saving you MONEY. From a strcitly financial point of view, you should encourage smoking. Stupid, huh? Just as stupid as having the government tell you how to live your life.

By the way you never answered the above so I'll pose one more. Fat kills more Americans than smoking. Is being seen in Dunkin Donuts with a caffeine laced drink and a high test sugar donut cause for termination?

[SheLion]

There are so many freaking cops and firefighters out on fake disabilities that it makes me sick to think about it...I know one, a young guy, claims he hurt his back on the job...now he'll collect his salary, tax free, for the next 50+ years at our expense...never mind the fact that he now runs his own business and has been vidoetaped by undercover investigators doing things like moving 300lb safes to the dump. Totally bogus...gives good cops and ff's a bad name...unfortunately, the unions won't do anything about it and they ALWAYS support the bogus diabaility claims and thus they are all tarnished IMO.

Beside all that, firefighters work a very dangerous job! Everytime they go out on a call, it could be their last time.

Tobacco is legal! I have seen some pretty obese firefighters. Why aren’t “they” coming down on THEM? Why aren’t “they” fining THEM?????

It’s just demoralizing tobacco, IMHO. And OFF DUTY???? This is uncalled for!

[putupon]

What special privileges?

The special priviledge of full, on the job, job related caused injury, which is far better than anyone gets if they have a heart attack on or off the job. If the cop is in the middle of a shootout and has a heart attack, then I have no problem with calling the condition job related whether or not he smokes.

The way this special priviledge is set is that if he keels over in the donut shop while on duty, or shoveling snow in his driveway at home on his day off, he still gets all job related benefits that he would get if had the heart attack in the middle of a shootout.

And that ain't right, especially if his condition is caused by his own behavior.

[SheLion]

Fat kills more Americans than smoking

You got THAT right! Even our Surgeon General put out a report that obesity has over taken smoking for disease AND health care:

Health & Science: Surgeon general warns obesity may overtake tobacco as leading preventable killer

and

OBESITY LINKED TO HIGHER RATES OF CHRONIC ILLNESS AND WORSE PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE THAN SMOKING, DRINKING OR POVERTY THREE OF FIVE ADULT AMERICANS ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE

[SheLion]

How many times do we have to tell you and other fanatics that smokers more than pay for their own illnesses, thats what the settlement and extremely high cigarette taxes are all about, so you can stop with the propaganda.

You tell em, Great Dane!!!

[Gone_Postal]

Firefighters who are caught should be given assistance to help them kick the habit and then be allowed to return to the job, said Rollins, who also is a Springfield firefighter and union representative for Springfield Association of Fire Fighters, Local 648.

It's none of their damn business if someone smokes or not!!!

Fired for smoking off the job,what next

[SheLion]

Fired for smoking off the job,what next

I'm afraid to ask "what's next." All the firefighters go through, and all the nannies worry about if they are smoking or not. Really pity!