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New Mexico Chiefs Accused of Assault on Subordinates
Gallinas Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tobias Lucero and Deputy Chief Lorenzo Montoya have been suspended from the fire department following allegations of that they handcuffed and struck another volunteer firefighter with a crowbar. According to the victim the supervisors have taken advantage of volunteers before and threatened firefighters if they told anyone. State police and San Miguel County Fire Marshal’s Office launched an investigation after the firefighter complained. A woman is reported to have witnessed the incident, which occurred on Monday, June 6, 2011. Deputy Chief Lorenzo Montoya told reporters that the allegations were not true. Volunteer fire chief, deputy suspended:…
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Alameda to Gwinnett County: Can We Be Everything to Everyone
Last week we witnessed the outrage in Alameda when firefighters stood by and watched for an hour as a suicidal man drowned. Crews were waiting first for a Coast Guard boat, and then for a Coast Guard helicopter to arrive with a rescue swimmer. When the department announced that firefighters were prohibited from attempting water rescues because they were not properly trained and equipped (a victim of financial cutbacks) it unleashed a backlash of allegations from the public ranging from cowardism and laziness to a union entitlement mentality run amuck. This week the families of two Georgia teenagers who broke…
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Apparatus Road Rage Leads to Termination of Driver and Demotion of Officer
An Orange County, Florida firefighter has been terminated and his officer demoted back to firefighter following a road rage incident caught on the engine company’s dash cam. The incident occurred on May 1, 2011 while Engine 58 was responding to a reported vehicle accident with entrapment. A Cadillac refused to yield causing the engine’s driver, David Jordan, to attempt to cut off the vehicle in retaliation, and the officer to flip off the Cadillac’s driver. The aggressive move caused the engine to strike a median so hard that the fire truck nearly overturned. Fortunately no one was injured. Lt. Thomas…
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Alabama Fire Chief Sued Over Disposal of Stillborn twins
Last summer we covered the story of Fire Chief David Davis, of Odenville, Alabama who was accused of flushing two premature (20 weeks) stillborn fetuses down a toilet last July while on an EMS run. Yesterday, Kimberly Chyann Garrison, filed suit against Regional Paramedical Services Inc., the city of Odenville and Chief Davis alleging negligence and negligent infliction of severe emotional distress. Chief Davis was terminated by the city shortly after the incident. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alVwaYqhbzo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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Washington State Firefighter Sentenced for Stealing Fuel
An inactive volunteer firefighter who was battling lung cancer has been sentenced to 35 days in prison for the theft of $8,900 worth of fuel. Cathlamet, Washington Fire Department firefighter Karl V. Moody, 52, and his wife Lisa R. Moody, 54, purchased fuel using a fire department gas card for more than two years before they were caught. The card had been taken from one of the department’s vehicles. Karl Moody pled guilty to felony theft in the second-degree, while Lisa pled guilty to a reduced charge of third degree theft. She will not have to serve any time in…
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Do A Firefighter’s Duties Include Non-Fire Related Salvage Work
Northampton, Massachusetts Firefighters IAFF Local 108 have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the town over an incident that occurred February 24, 2011. The unoccupied home of an elderly man collapsed under the weight of snow on February 8, 2011, and needed to be demolished. The man could not afford the cost of demolition, so the town hired a company to perform the work and placed a lien on the property to cover the cost. The town also ordered firefighters to assist in removing personal effects and property, prompting the unfair labor practice charge. The house had not been lived…
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Throwing the Bookcase at Firefighter Arson
A Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania volunteer firefighter was sentenced yesterday to 1 ½ to 3 years in prison for setting a fire last August. Brandon Cooper, 19, was with the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department when he set a fire in a garage that led to the destruction of two garages, seven houses and a parked car. He pled guilty to the charges, and will have to serve probation and pay restitution upon his release. Asked to comment on the sentence, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Edward A. Mann gave the quote of the week: “A firefighter accused and convicted of arson should…
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Rochester Firefighters Prevail on 2% Issue – $4 million
Rochester Firefighters, IAFF Local 1071 won a major victory last week, prevailing at the New York Court of Appeals on the proper use of a 2% levy on insurance premiums charged by out of state insurers. The union alleged the city illegally diverted nearly $4 million in 2% funding that should have been used for the benefit of firefighters, as the firefighters themselves determine. The city claimed it used the funds for a legitimate purpose: to pay for the firefighters’ health insurance. The problem was the city was contractually obligated to pay for the health care, and merely used the…
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Power of Attorney and the Right to Decline Aid
I get questions daily from readers and earlier this week I received a great EMS related question that I wanted to share. Here it is: Last night we were called to a patient with altered mental status. We ended up restraining the patient to transport her. All of the members of the crew had less than a year of experience, and for most of us, it was the first time we’d had to restrain a patient. Considering that, things went remarkably well, although we have a lot to talk about over the next few days. However, there’s one question that…
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Discrimination Suit Against Rochester MN Fire Tossed, But Coincidence is Strange
The Rochester, Minnesota Fire Department has prevailed in a discrimination suit brought by a native American candidate and a female candidate. The decision was issued by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on June 1, 2011, ending a roughly five year legal battle. David Jaye Torgerson, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and Jami Kay Mundell, allege they were discriminated against in the hiring process for the Rochester Fire Department in 2006 and 2007. The fire department hired 7 firefighters in 2006 and 5 in 2007. Mundell placed 40th and Torgerson ranked 45th.…
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Two Full Time Jobs Lands Mass Firefighter In Hot Water
Should a firefighter or EMT be allowed to hold two full time jobs with different agencies? That question is at the center of a controversy in Boston where Richard G. Covino serves as a paramedic for Boston Emergency Medical Services, and a firefighter for the Massachusetts Port Authority. Covino was suspended from Massport on April 14, and placed on administrative leave by the city of Boston on April 29 following Boston Globe inquiries about his work schedule and days he was allegedly paid to work both places at the same time. Following an investigation, it was established that Covino used…
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St. Louis Residency Requirement Reinstated
St. Louis firefighters have been handed a setback in their bid to live in the community of their own choosing. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled Tuesday that a state law granting firefighters the right to live within an hours’ drive of their assigned station, was unconstitutional, and violated the home rule charter authority granted to the City of St. Louis. Last summer, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed the firefighter residency bill into law over the vehement objection of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. Governor Nixon signed the bill on June 25, 2010, and five days later on July…
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