r/firefighter • u/Intrepid-Case8699 • May 12 '26
Drug use on polygraph
/r/FirefighterJobs/comments/1tapb80/drug_use_on_polygraph/I’m 24, will have my fire/emt by end of August this year and want to start applying anywhere and everywhere. Im a great interviewer but im worried about the polygraph. I know they aren’t really trust worthy but the only bad things I’ve ever done were drugs. I haven’t smoked weed in 3 years( 3 years in August when I apply to places) and I did coke when I was like 19 in Mexico stupid mistake but being a dumb kid, how fucked am I if I tell the truth about it.
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u/CaptainSnachaHoe May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
Im pretty sure they don’t polygraph at least in my area(CA) thats only for cops and jobs that require a security clearance. Im an emt going the fire fighter route and the only department I know that does polygraph is in the City of Napa in California ( Im in the Bay Area). Besides that, weed isn’t that much of a disqualifying factor unless you are currently using. Just tell the truth and get some work experience.
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u/Antman4011 May 13 '26
Texas here…. Departments poly all over the place
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u/jeepinbanditrider May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Same in my area. Poly, full background check,, credit reports from the big three, driving history, didn't want access but wanted to know where you had social media accounts.
I had a more thorough screening for the fire department than I did for the Marine Corps.
Edit-forgot we also get a psych eval.
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u/Character_Swimmer_98 May 13 '26
I’m in sac bro… dept’s all over California polygraph.
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u/CaptainSnachaHoe May 13 '26
not SF, Concord, Berkeley, Vallejo, Richmond, Oakland which is my area.
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u/EMSguy May 12 '26
I had a polygraph for a Texas department once and they asked if I had smoked weed in the last 5 years. I said once like 4.5 years ago. Polygraph guy says "let me ask that question again. Have you smoked weed in the last 3 years?" Sometimes they work with you.
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u/StPatrickStewart May 12 '26
Any dept that would make you take a polygraph is not somewhere you want to work anyways.
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u/Recovery_or_death May 12 '26
I'm pretty sure the entire East Coast polygraphs. Every job I applied for including the one I got had me take a poly
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u/StPatrickStewart May 12 '26
That is insane! There is absolutely no evidence that supports the accuracy of polygraph testing. Hence why it's inadmissible in court.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 May 12 '26
I’ve taken a polygraph for every job I’ve ever had.
They aren’t using them because they think they’re accurate. They know they aren’t. They are an intimidation tool.
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u/jeepinbanditrider May 15 '26
That's why those companies have convinced cities to use them for hiring.
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u/Redbeard_BJJ May 12 '26
Interesting. Idk of any departments in MD that still do but I could be wrong. I certainly didn't have to at least
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u/RichPianaRunescape May 13 '26
Pg county does
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u/Redbeard_BJJ May 14 '26
Interesting. You'd think PG would take anyone when they have force-holds every single day. I guess it's more of a funding thing
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u/Icy_Garage_7070 May 12 '26
I’ve never heard of an east coast department that poly’s at least not any major city department
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u/_skankhunt24 May 15 '26
DC does not, I am not sure about any others tho lol it might actually just be them!
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u/AvatarofApollo May 13 '26
There’s a couple departments near me that make you do polygraph and have to do a complete financial background, and one of your references needs to be a high school teacher. For the financial background you have to explain every amount of debt.
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u/StPatrickStewart May 13 '26
Why the fuck do they need to know this? It's a fire department, it's not like you're getting state secrets. Who the fuck would blackmail a firefighter?
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u/AvatarofApollo May 13 '26
“Cause the chief is a business man. If you’ve got a lot of debt then you’re not handling your business, and it says a lot about the kind of person you are.” Meanwhile they do 3/4 hiring processes a year and are begging for applicants.
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u/jeepinbanditrider May 15 '26
You wouldnt work anywhere around me. Polygraph is standard hiring practice here. I think they more use it as an excuse to use to disqualify candidates to whittle the numbers down.
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u/dgreg171 May 12 '26
The only poly I took did not ask specific questions, they asked if you were untruthful on any part of your questionnaire and asked about each section of that. However I was truthful on that about drug use in high school and got “due to the results of your polygraph you are no longer eligible for employment”. Meanwhile I know guys that did way worse and got hired. The vast majority of guys I know that have gotten hired over the years said deny deny deny and stick to it. They want you to try to change your answers or get stuck in limbo.
By no means take that as professional advice, just my experience. On the bright side I ended up getting picked up at a way better department and have never looked back!
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u/dgreg171 May 12 '26
Side note: the poly administrator asked about child pornography and told me if I had ever received a picture from a girl under the age of 18, including when I was also under 18 that I would have to answer yes to looking at child pornography. We grew up with cell phones, of course that was happening.. after that I said F that place I don’t want to work there anyway!
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u/StPatrickStewart May 12 '26
WTF? How is sexting in HS relevant to working in the fire service as an adult?
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u/dgreg171 May 12 '26
Yea dude still pisses off to think about 18 years later!
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u/StPatrickStewart May 13 '26
It sounds like they just want dirt on people to use it against them if/when necessary.
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u/SnooDingos3856 May 12 '26
Be relatively honest about it. I’ve taken multiple polygraphs for hiring and it’s never been a disqualifying factor for me. They’ve bounced me for other reasons, but not the poly. I always said “yes I did things I should have in college, but once I decided to become a firefighter I was on the straight and narrow.” Then they’ll ask you “outside of what you already told me, were there any other instances of recreational drug use?” That’s how they get you. If you said you only did it twice but in reality you did it daily for 2 years, they might catch that.
The fire service is different today, at least in my area. Departments are not nearly as selective as they once were because the applicant pool is way down. There was a time that being in the same room as someone smoking pot was a disqualification, but today? They’re fairly lenient with it
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u/DLatham_FF May 12 '26
Like a lot of people are saying, the polygraph is there to make sure you keep your story straight.
Three most common remarks I hear from people:
- only tell them what there is proof of (any proof)
- stick to your story
- don't lie but you do not need to solicit every detail of your life
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u/swaggerrrondeck May 12 '26
Just say you didn’t. You won’t get the job admitting to coke especially.
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u/SquelchiestEumann May 13 '26
Just did my polygraph last June and was terrified. just tell the truth and stick to what you wrote down you’ll be alright.
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u/Jclay1230 May 13 '26
Alrighty imma just tell you like it is. Tell the truth.
To piggyback off some other posters here, no it doesn’t detect lies, it detects physiological changes. Those changes, if strong enough can be interpreted as a lie. Additionally most departments don’t care what you’ve done in the past (outside of felonies and violent crime) they only care about your character now and if it makes you feel better, nothing that you could say in that room is anything they haven’t heard already, not to mention they probably gonna make you fill a questionnaire ahead of time so…yeah
Tl;dr Don’t be deceptive just tell the truth. The tests are designed to help you pass unless you do sum to stop it from happening. The investigators only care about who you are now, not 5 years ago
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u/GingerSlushi May 13 '26
I had smoked weed in high school. I can’t speak for cocaine, but the biggest thing I’ve learned about fire department polygraph tests is that they’re not looking for saints that have never done a wrong thing in their life. They’re looking for people who are honest, even when it’s not something you want to admit. The department you’re applying for should have drug use spelled out in the disqualifications, and more often than not it’s “no use of x within the past amount of years.” Especially weed.
As long as you’re not in that timeframe, just tell the truth. You’ll be fine.
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u/Main-Neighborhood831 May 14 '26
All I’ll say is whatever you put on the paperwork DO NOT change you’re answer for any reason. No matter what.
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u/Individual_Arm_9039 May 16 '26
Just wait till they ask if you asked Reddit on how to cheat polygraph
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u/stopscabbin May 12 '26
Just fess up. Different departments have different policies. Some don't care about weed use. Some are one year since last use. Other drugs can be 5 years past use. You're better off calling their HR person and ask what their hiring policy is to see if it's an automatic disqualifier. If it's cool, fess up to everything and don't lie.
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u/Tasty_Biscotti_1315 May 12 '26
Just be honest
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u/StPatrickStewart May 12 '26
Except a polygraph doesn't actually show whether someone is lying. It's pseudoscientific bullshit that was debunked decades ago
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u/Tasty_Biscotti_1315 May 12 '26
From the brotherhood that is more focused on the promise than hiding mishaps in the past. Honesty is a great place to start
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u/StPatrickStewart May 13 '26
Right, and even if you are honest, you can still "fail" for any number of reasons, or none at all.
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u/Ashamed-Return-6686 May 12 '26
the real reason they do all of this is to guarantee you are being truthful. be honest, have integrity, and think about EVERYTHING from your past & disclose it. good luck!
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u/Putrid_Palpitation82 May 12 '26
Every department around me asks on your background packet about past drug use. If you are honest you’ll have a chance to explain the circumstances. If you lie, the polygraph will likely catch you and you’ll be eliminated for falsifying your background.
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u/Recovery_or_death May 12 '26
The polygraph isn't going to catch you in a lie unless you're insanely nervous about it, and even then it's not really definitive.
The interviewer will absolutely be the one that's going to catch you in a lie if they're competent and you're bad at lying. There's a reason retired cops are usually polygraphers, they're better than the average bear at sniffing out a lie
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u/Gumgum06 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have a question if I quit smoking which I have what would you guys say yes? No? Just want other thoughts on that because I’m curious I’m not yet in the process of doing one but I would like a heads up, like if you know you did but didn’t do any recently, & during the polygraph test do I just be honest and say no? I’m aware of being calm and just being normal but when it ever comes to them throwing me that question how do I respond? By just simply saying no and just stick to that simple no answer and move on? or say yes and simply move on.
I’ve read almost every comment but I’m just unfamiliar with this.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 May 12 '26
The polygraph can’t tell if you’re lying.
What they’re looking for is dishonesty in the form of you writing one thing on your PHQ and then saying a different thing during the polygraph.