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Spokane LT Not Guilty Of Assaulting Police
The long saga of a Spokane fire lieutenant who was falsely accused of two different sets of offenses by Washington State Patrol, ended yesterday with a not-guilty verdict. Lieutenant Todd Chism was arrested in 2008 after police discovered his credit card had been used to download child pornography. Chism was suspended from the fire department and vigorously proclaimed his innocence. The charges were later dismissed when it was proven that he was the victim of identity fraud and had no connection with the pornography. Chism then filed a $12 million suit against the Washington State Patrol alleging that its shoddy…
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Firefighter Who Reported Fire Chief’s Drinking Sues Over Demotion
A volunteer firefighter from Michigan has filed suit against his department and its fire chief alleging his demotion from lieutenant was in retaliation for him reporting misconduct by the fire chief. Jeremy Jennings filed suit in Federal District Court on Monday claiming his June 22, 2011 demotion was the direct result of his having reported that firefighters, including the fire chief, responded to alarms drunk and under the influence of pain medication. The suit alleges violations of the First Amendment (free speech), Fourteenth Amendment (due process), retaliation, and violation of the Michigan Whistleblower Act. Jennings initially reported his concerns to the…
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Boston Firefighter Acquitted of Fraud… Let the Blame Games Begin
The two week trial of Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo on Federal fraud charges ended yesterday in a not guilty verdict, shocking most who have been following the case. The high profile trial was touted by the media as a slam dunk guilty verdict for a malingering firefighter faking a back injury while participating in strenuous activities such as weight-lifting and playing baseball. According to the media the evidence was overwhelming. So what happened? The blame games have begun…. Boston Herald.com columnist Peter Gelzinis was particularly vicious today in his attacks on the jury, calling them “dumbbells” and “dunces”. He was…
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Honolulu EMS Personnel In Trouble Over Risque Calendar Photos
Some Honolulu EMS personnel are under investigation following a breast cancer calendar fundraiser. The female paramedics may have stepped over the line in posing for the calendar in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Susan B. Komen Race For The Cure Foundation. The photos were taken last June, and include the paramedics striking poses using their EMS vehicles as props. According to a spokesperson for the Komen Foundation the photos proved to be a bit too risqué. More on the story.
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Another Case of Theft in the Volunteer Fire Service
There has been another case of theft in the volunteer fire service, this time in West Virginia, and this time to the tune of $242,269.15. Stephen Wilson, 61, the treasurer of the Short Gap Volunteer Fire Department was arrested last Friday, August 12, 2011 by State Police. Financial irregularities were first discovered approximately 6 months ago. After a series of meetings with the department’s board Wilson finally admitted to the theft, and pulled a handgun telling the board members he could not live with himself. Members were able to get Wilson to surrender the gun. Wilson faces three charges: embezzlement,…
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Oklahoma Firefighter Charged in Arson Where Body Was Discovered
A volunteer firefighter in Osage County, Oklahoma has been charged with setting an August 3, 2011 fire that damaged several structures and consumed 300 acres. What has investigators puzzled was the discovery of human remains inside a school bus that was damaged in the blaze. Dustin William Koelliker, 39, a member of the Sand Creek Fire Department, is accused of setting the fire and endangering human life. He is being held on $100,000 bond. The fire is reported to have destroyed one house, damaged another, and damaged several mobile homes, outbuildings, tractor trailers, a boat, a motorcycle, a greenhouse, and approximately…
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Construction Suit Filed Against California Fire District
A construction dispute between a California fire district and a contractor over refurbishing a fire station has ended up in court. Sonoma County Builders filed suit against Southern Marin Fire Protection District claiming the district failed to pay $156,014.94 of the agreed upon $300,474 for the installation of a new roof, windows and skylights on Station 9. Fire Chief Jim Irving claims the contractor owes the district over $150,000 for damage that occurred when Sonoma failed to cover the roof during a rain storm. According to the chief the interior of the station was so badly damaged that crews had…
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Open Records Chaos in Connecticut
Public officials in Connecticut are in an uproar over a recent state supreme court decision that requires the addresses of police officers, corrections officers and firefighters to be redacted from publically accessible motor vehicle tax lists. The decision has implications for virtually every type of list that a municipality may keep, from voter registrations to dog licenses. At issue is a Connecticut law, Conn. General Statutes § 1-217, that prohibits public entities from disclosing the home addresses of various federal, state and local officials, including firefighters. The case began when attorney Peter Sachs filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request…
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California Fire Department Not Liable For Bee Swarm Death
The California Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a strange wrongful death case against a fire department for not properly handling a swarm of Africanized bees. On September 18, 2008, the Niland Fire District of Imperial County responded to a 911 report of victim being attacked by a swarm of bees. An EMS unit was immediately dispatched and arrived on scene to discover that specialized assistance would be required to deal with a large swarm of Africanized bees. The victim, Darren Dragoo, 42, was recovering from back surgery and was riding in an electric wheelchair at the time…
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Baltimore Clears Students in EMS Cheating Probe
Baltimore Fire Chief James Clack has announced that EMT students at the city’s fire academy were not to blame for the recent testing controversy. The Chief stated publically that: “No recruit, no student in any of these classes engaged in any type of cheating. They were given materials that they shouldn’t have been given by instructional staff.” The testing controversy prompted accusations of cheating, and led the fire department to suspend all EMS training. Here is more on the story.
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Pennsylvania Township Sues Volunteer Fire Department Seeking Accounting
What can local officials do when concerns arise over how a local volunteer fire company spends taxpayer funds? How do local volunteer fire departments prevent politicians from interfering with their internal operations? That tug-of-war has been playing itself out for as long as I have been involved in the fire service. Those questions will be playing themselves out in a courtroom in eastern Pennsylvania as Lawrence Park Township has filed suit against the Lawrence Park Volunteer Fire Department. The Township has concerns about the financial management of taxpayer funds by the fire company and petitioned the Erie County Court to…
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Scranton Firefighters Challenge Layoff
A group of firefighters and police officers in Scranton, Pennsylvania, have filed suit to reverse a layoff decision that they claim violates a local ordinance. Mayor Chris Doherty ordered the layoffs on July 29, 2011 seeking to save roughly $212,000 this year and $700,000 next year. The suit filed in Lackawanna County Court alleges the mayor “has an undeniable, clear and ministerial duty to maintain minimum staffing levels of 137 and 150 in the fire department and police department” and seeks a writ of mandamus to compel him to rescind the layoffs. Local ordinances specify the minimum levels of firefighters…
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