Granger trustees discuss more thorough drug-free policy
By Mike D’Agruma
The Granger Township Fire Department’s new truck was on display for the Board of Trustees with all its bells and whistles in place during the Oct. 22 meeting.
What is not in place, according to Fire Chief John Hadam, is a more comprehensive drug-free workplace policy that would not only benefit the fire department, but the township itself.
Hadam said the department has a policy that gives some direction with regard to dealing with employees suspected of being under the influence of some substance. The problem is it isn’t as thorough as some employed by businesses and other organizations.
Hadam presented the trustees with a sample policy used by the company where the fire department has its physicals performed. He said it could serve as a baseline for a future township-wide policy.
“[Our department policy] just gives you some basic guidelines, but that’s not good enough, I guess,” Hadam said. “What we need is a policy set up so that we can do something — you know, like testing and things like that.
“I don’t have anything like this policy,” he added.
Hadam said he is trying to be proactive in stopping problems before they start. An example he gave of a situation that could prove difficult to handle would be one in which a patient or other individual accuses one of his employees of being under the influence while on a call.
“What am I going to do?” Hadam said. “I need to have a policy in place. ... What do you do if somebody accuses somebody else of doing something? Now I’m [between] a rock and a hard place.
“Right now, without a definite policy, what do we do?” he added.
With a definite policy in place, like the sample he gave the trustees, Hadam said employees would sign a waiver and could be tested if such a situation were to occur, and that would help to prove whether any accusations were valid. He said on a township-wide level, it would give the trustees the right to test all employees and to terminate them if they refuse the test.
“I’m not after random drug testing and things like that,” Hadam said. “I think we do need something in hard copy like this if we don’t already have something — a little bit more than what we’ve got is what I’m saying.”
The trustees said they understood Hadam’s position with regard to the problems that could arise if an employee is accused of being under the influence while on a call. Trustee Teri Berry said she wanted the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office to look at the baseline policy to make sure it wouldn’t leave the township vulnerable to a possible lawsuit. As of now, Hadam said he was unsure whether other townships were using similar policies.
In other business, the trustees heard from a representative of the Granger Township Historical Society, who brought the trustees a bill for furnace repair at the Historical Museum. He also asked them to visit the property and consider budgeting some funds for additional repairs that need to be made to maintain the facility.
The next Granger Board of Trustees meeting is set for Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Administration Building, 3717 Ridge Road.
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