Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone

The Illinois Court of Appeals has ruled that it is an unfair labor practice for a fire department to unilaterally alter the qualifications of those eligible for shift-trades. In doing so the court affirmed a decision by the Illinois Labor Relations Board in favor of the Park Ridge Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 2697.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 28, 2024, Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss a lawsuit filed by a Tennessee chief over his termination; a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a Kansas firefighter; an appellate decision ruling that ...

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A Tennessee fire chief who was terminated earlier this year, has filed suit alleging he was retaliated against for reporting a former employee who self-deployed to a reported school shooting with an AR-15. Former Columbia Fire Chief Ty Cobb filed suit naming the city of Columbia and City Manager Tony Massey as defendants.

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A Kansas firefighter who was terminated in 2021 for “sewing seeds of distrust and discord” has filed suit against her former employer alleging sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. Jessica Shrewsbury filed suit against Shawnee Heights Fire district and the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners.

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The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court has ruled as a matter of law, that FDNY cannot be held liable for their initial decision to dispatch a basic life support ambulance as opposed to paramedics to an incident scene, or the later decision of EMTs to await the arrival of paramedics rather than transport a patient immediately to the hospital.

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An FDNY firefighter who suffered a severe allergic reaction to the COVID vaccine resulting in a career-ending heart condition, and who was denied an accidental disability pension, has filed suit in federal court alleging that the city violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights.

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The president of IAFF Local 86, Troy Uniformed Firefighters Association, is challenging a 15-day suspension without pay for refusing to participate in a training exercise he considered to be dangerous. Eric Wisher was cited for insubordination because he refused to participate in a mask confidence training exercise that was being conducted by the NY State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 21, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the settlement of a lawsuit brought by combat vet who was denied employment by the Paterson NJ Fire Department due to PTSD concerns; a lawsuit ...

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A Marine Corps veteran who was passed over by the Paterson Fire Department due to concerns about PTSD has reached a settlement of his discrimination lawsuit for $415,000. Brett D’Alessandro filed suit in 2018 naming the City of Patterson, the mayor, the fire chief, a deputy chief, and the Institute for Forensic Psychology.

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A Texas fire chief who was demoted and later suspended due to health-related concerns, has filed suit alleging disability discrimination and retaliation. Fire Chief Mario Escobedo filed suit against the City of Pleasanton alleging violations of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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A Palm Beach County district chief who was terminated based on allegations he sexually harassed a female subordinate, has lost his lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the county’s policies he was charged with violating.

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The North County Fire Protection District is facing an age and gender discrimination lawsuit brought by the district’s finance manager. Cherie A. Juul filed suit in San Diego County Superior Court alleging state law gender discrimination, age discrimination, failure to prevent discrimination - harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation

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An Oregon fire district that experienced a YCMTSU problem resulting in two federal lawsuits in 2023, is back in the Fire Law news with the filing of a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit by two former captains. The captains claim they were forced to resign after reporting what they considered to be violations of the law by the fire chief brought in to right the ship.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 14, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the settlement of a lawsuit arising out of an assault in California; a ruling that upheld a public utility decision citing a utility for not ...

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