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Ohio Court Upholds Termination of Firefighter
Ohio’s Third Appellate District Court of Appeals rejected the appeal of a firefighter who was terminated for failing to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians during his probationary period. Mark Evans filed suit against Shawnee Township in 2019, alleging breach of contract, and wrongful discharge
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Arkansas Captain Resigns Following Arrest
An Arkansas fire captain who was charged with assaulting an Asian man outside a casino, has resigned. Benjamin Snodgrass turned in his resignation to the Bentonville Fire Department on March 23, 2021.
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Insurer Sues Over Apparatus Fire
A lawsuit has been filed by an insurer over a fire that destroyed a West Virginia fire truck in 2019. The Arch Insurance Co. filed suit this month against Shaffer Ford and Ford Motor Company for the destruction of a 2004 Ford F-Super Duty 550 owned by the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department.
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Orlando Settles Sexual Harassment Suit for Nearly $1 Million
The City of Orlando has settled a sexual harassment suit brought by an assistant chief against the fire department and former Fire Chief Roderick Williams. Assistant Fire Chief Dawn Sumter filed the suit last year, but her claims date back to 2017.
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Mass Firefighter Charged With Enticing a Minor
A Massachusetts firefighter has been charged with enticing a minor. Westfield firefighter Richard Paul reportedly sought to meet someone he believed was a 13-year old girl. Instead it was an undercover police officer. Paul had been under investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement for over a month. He reportedly told the undercover officer: “we could go out if you pretend to be my daughter lol”“we would go shopping but you gotta call me dad.” Western Mass News quoted Westfield Fire Chief Patrick Egloff as saying in a statement: “The Fire Department and the City have been made aware…
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New York Firefighter Alleges Harassment and Retaliation
A volunteer firefighter with the Lakeview Fire Department in New York has filed suit in federal court alleging a variety of civil rights violations and state law claims against what the complaint describes as "a cabal comprised of officers and publicly elected officials of the Lakeview Fire District and Lakeview Fire Department."
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California Captain Claims Age Discrimination & Retaliation
A California fire captain who was passed over for promotion to battalion chief has filed suit claiming age discrimination and retaliation for having complained about a perceived violation of the law. Captain Scott Martinez filed suit last week against the City of El Segundo and Fire Chief Chris Donovan.
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Missouri Firefighter Sues Over Age and Weight Discrimination
A Missouri firefighter who was terminated in 2019 for conduct unbecoming, has filed suit contending he was targeted due to his age and a discriminatory fitness policy that targeted his weight. Anthony Bailey filed suit against the Warrenton Fire Protection District earlier this month.
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Long Beach Settles Suit Over Firefighter’s Punch for $250K
The City of Long Beach, California has agreed to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by a man who was punched by a firefighter following the shooting death of a fire captain. The incident that precipitated the punch was an explosion, fire and shooting at the Covenant Manor Senior Housing Project, a high rise building in Long Beach
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Mayor Sues Council Over Blocked Demotion of Fire Chief
An Indiana mayor has filed suit against her city council challenging their authority to block her demotion of the fire chief. Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron filed suit yesterday after the town council voted unanimously not to demote Fire Chief James Vangorder. Such demotions require council approval.
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Texas Firefighter Alleges Disability and Age Discrimination
A Texas firefighter who was terminated in 2019, has filed suit claiming he was the victim of age discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. Jason January filed suit earlier this year in US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, naming the City of Huntsville as the sole defendant.
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No-Visible Tattoo Policy Upheld by Mass Civil Service Commission
The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission has upheld a no-visible tattoo policy in a challenge brought by an applicant to the Brockton Fire Department. Corey Matchem was bypassed by the Brockton Fire Department in 2019 over his “non-compliance with the department’s Tattoo, Body Piercing and Mutilation Policy for New Hires.”
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Court Rules FDNY First Amendment Suit Can Proceed
A US District Court judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by an FDNY deputy assistant chief who was denied a promotion for refusing to renounce letters to the editor he wrote decades ago relative to merit based testing. Even more interestingly, Judge Brian M. Cogan suggested that the proper First Amendment analysis for the case is not the traditional Pickering Balancing Test, but rather one that looks at the ability of government to compel the speech of public employees.
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PA Chief Accused of Stealing From Grant Program
A Pennsylvania fire chief has been charged with embezzling over $57,000 from a federal grant program. Fire Chief Anthony Dibona was arraigned in US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania earlier this week. He faces a single count of embezzlement and several IRS related counts.
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