Firefighters did drugs while on duty in New Britain

A monthslong administrative investigation showed nine New Britain firefighters used illegal drugs — at least three of them while on the job, the city's mayor said Tuesday.

Eight of the nine were in leadership positions, with three holding the rank of lieutenant, Mayor Erin Stewart said in an interview Tuesday. One was fired because he lied, she said, and one died at home of what she called a suspected overdose. The others were forced to take 30 days of unpaid leave, demoted and placed on probation. They will be subject to random drug testing.

The city's investigation started when firefighter Matthew Dizney died at his Southington home in January, Stewart said, and city officials learned that his death was a suspected drug overdose.

“Everybody kind of knows without saying anything,” she said.

Adderall, a stimulant, was the drug of choice, Stewart said. Although the firefighters also used cocaine, marijuana, heroin and fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, according to Stewart.

She said while there were some admissions of drug use and text messages about it, police didn't have enough evidence to arrest the firefighters. Police did arrest other individuals who they suspect were involved in the sale of the illegal drugs, however, Stewart said.

She suggested that drug use in the fire department could be more extensive than among the nine firefighters. A group of firefighters put in their retirement papers in recent months, she said.

During the investigation, city officials interviewed Fire Lt. Michael Yagmin. They determined that he lied in an interview about what appeared in texts to Dizney to be references to drugs, records show. The texts referred to “bun,” and “stack,” which New Britain police said refer to 10 bags and 100 bags of heroin or fentanyl, respectively, according to Yagmin's termination letter. Yagmin said he was merely talking about marijuana.

He was fired Feb. 18. City officials then learned of more firefighters, all with the rank of lieutenant or driver, who were suspected of drug use. Stewart said Tuesday that in addition to Dizney and Yagmin, at least one other firefighter admitted to doing drugs — specifically marijuana — while on the job.

“We believe that at least three of them were high while they were at work,” she said.

Stewart said she hopes the drug suspicion training and the work Fire Chief Raul Ortiz and Assistant Chief Peter Towey are doing to change the culture of secrecy in the department take hold.

“I'm hopeful that we have nipped this in the bud,” she said. “I hope that this doesn't continue.”

“I have faith that we're doing the right thing, that we're taking the right steps, and things will change,” Stewart said.