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Fire Company Hit with Multi-Million Dollar Verdict
A New Jersey volunteer fire company that responded to a wires down incident in 2007, has been hit with a major portion of a $20.5 million verdict in favor of a man who was shocked and traumatically injured. Last Friday, a jury found the Northside Engine Company, of Tinton Falls, to be 60 percent responsible for the injuries sustained by William Hagerman on February 15, 2007. The jury concluded that the remaining 40% share was attributable to Jersey Central Power & Light. The incident occurred during an ice storm. The fire company was dispatched to reported wires down, and according…
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Ohio Firefighter Alleges Retaliation Over Refusing Prior Promotion
Today’s burning question: I’m a black firefighter and in September, 2010 I placed 5th on a promotional exam for lieutenant. Last December, the chief offered me a promotion to lieutenant, but when it was disclosed that I was selected out of turn because of my race, I turned it down. Now the chief has gone past me on the list, and I think it’s because I didn’t take the promotion last year. Do I have a case? In a nutshell, that is the story of firefighter William Phelps of the Berea Fire Department in Berea, Ohio. Dave Statter covered this…
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Not Your Typical Embezzlement Case: Virginia Chief Fights Back
There have been a number of fire service embezzlement cases that have been covered in this blog the past few years. Most involve the theft of large sums from volunteer fire companies by trusted officials. A few involve thefts by elected union officials from career firefighter unions. This one is different. A chief officer from Virginia has filed a multi-million dollar civil suit alleging that embezzlement charges brought against him were part of an elaborate scheme to damage his reputation and cause him emotional distress. Martinsville Fire & EMS Assistant Chief John Russell was terminated from the department on June 30,…
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Illinois Acting Chief Charged With Felony Theft
An acting fire chief in Illinois has been placed on paid administrative leave and charged with one count of theft related to the falsification of hours. Deputy Chief Ronald Pieri of the City of Highwood Fire Department is facing felony charges brought by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. The Chicago Tribune has cited court documents that indicate the amount in question is between $10,000 and $100,000 for hours not actually worked. City officials have indicated they are unsure about whether Chief Pieri is accused of falsely claiming regular hours or overtime hours. Chief Pieri’s wife, Kathy Murphy-Pieri, is on the…
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New Haven… Again… When Will It End
A group of seven black New Haven firefighters have filed suit against the city seeking to again litigate the validity of the 2003 promotional examinations that gave rise to the US Supreme Court decision in Ricci v. DeStefano. Gary Tinney , Linda D. Cohens , Bernard McNeil , Anthony Reese , Curtis Tolson , Michael Neal and Anthony Wells sued the City of New Haven and IAFF Local 825 alleging the 2003 promotion process violated their due process, equal protection, and 14th Amendment rights by using a testing process that adversely impacted African-American promotion candidates. The suit follows the plaintiffs’ previous efforts…
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California Union Treasurer Charged With Embezzlement of $63k
A career fire captain with the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District in Sonoma County, California has been charged with stealing more than $63,000 from the firefighters’ union. Michael Bechtold, 39, was arrested last Wednesday on charges of embezzlement. Bechtold was the treasurer of the Rancho Adobe Firefighters Association, from whom the funds were stolen. Sheriff’s investigators claim he used the money on season tickets for the San Jose Sharks and a trip to Disney Land. If you have been following this blog for a while, you no doubt realize the fire service is having a serious problem with theft in…
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Kansas Chief Seeks $1.3 million for Sex Discrimination
A deputy chief who was laid off by the Topeka Fire Department in 2010 due to budget cuts, has filed a claim for $1.3 million alleging that the elimination of her position, and the refusal to rehire her for a training position, was gender based and retaliatory. Kathy Petty was one of Topeka’s first female firefighters, and the first to reach the rank of deputy chief. She had been in the cross-hairs of the union, with 86% of the rank and file having expressed their dissatisfaction with her performance in a 2006 poll. Her position was eliminated in February, 2010.…
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Maryland Volunteer Fire Department Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Burning
Does the headline really say that? Yes it does. The Fairmount Volunteer Fire Department and two men, Ryan Miller and James Taylor, pled guilty to criminal charges of unlawful burning after they burned Miller’s demolished house in Westover, Maryland, without getting clearance from the Somerset County. Miller had filed a request for a permit to burn down his house but it was denied by Somerset County because the house was already in a demolished condition. As such it constituted solid waste and was subject to solid waste disposal laws. Taylor, who was an assistant fire chief for Fairmount VFD, conducted the…
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Medical Confidentiality: Off-Duty Threats
I received an interesting question – for today’s burning question: If an EMS crew is called to the home of an off-duty firefighter and she is drunk, suicidal and threatening to harm her husband, can the crew inform a supervisor? If she goes so far as to threaten the crew, can the crew disclose the threat to the police and a supervisor? Answer: wow… you guys are killing me. The obvious issue that arises in this situation is that of medical confidentiality. There may also be a duty to report law for domestic abuse that may be triggered – based…
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Pennsylvania Fire Department Sued Over Massive Plant Fire
The owner of a large commercial structure in Union City, Pennsylvania that was destroyed by fire last December, has filed suit against a volunteer fire company and the Borough of Union City. Carl Boone, owner of a 210,000 square foot building that formerly was a furniture manufacturing facility for Ethan Allen, claims that firefighters failed to do enough to extinguish the fire, and failed to use the building’s built in fire protection system (which I assume means the sprinkler system). The fire was reported to have been started by workers using a torches, but the lawsuit alleges it was actually started…
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Portland Fire Boat Mishap Leads to Discipline
A captain and a firefighter from Portland, Maine have been suspended following a marine mishap with a fire boat that resulted in approximately $38,000 worth of damage. Captain Christopher Goodall and Firefighter Joseph Murphy were operating The City of Portland IV on October 15, 2011 when it ran aground. Murphy was piloting the vessel at the time, received a 3 day suspension, while Captain Goodall received a 10 day suspension. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard has initiated an investigation into the incident, and why the accident was not reported. According to a city spokesperson, officials were not aware they had…
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Hepatitis C Presumption Upheld in Philadelphia Case
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has upheld the widow of a Philadelphia firefighter in her claim that her husband’s Hepatitis C was contracted in the line of duty. Joseph Kriebel served as a Philadelphia firefighter from 1974 until 2003. He passed away on October 25, 2004, from liver disease caused by Hepatitis C. Patricia Kriebel, filed a workers’ compensation claim following his death claiming that his disease and death were job related. The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act identifies Hepatitis C as an “occupational disease” for career and volunteer firefighters, and section 301(e) of the Act creates a rebuttable presumption that…
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