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Chicago Ambulance Stolen with EMS Personnel and Patient Inside
Did the headline catch your eye? Sounds pretty interesting, right? We all assume good journalists covering such a story would fully develop the facts before they print headlines like that, right? What happened in Chicago on Saturday was initially reported as the malicious theft of an ambulance while paramedics were in the back treating a patient. The story was made juicier by the fact that the thief had a lengthy criminal record, a “perp photo” released by police made him look like a stereotypical criminal, and a CFD ladder truck was able to heroically block the street to prevent the…
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Duty to Act
Fire Service Court Radio: Tennessee Subscription FD – Refusual to Respond
This week's Fire Service Court Radio discusses the recent decision by the City of South Fulton Fire Department – not to respond to a fire in a non-subscriber's home. Listen as attorneys Brad Pinsky, Chip Comstock, John Murphy and yours truly debate the issues! Podcast.
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Missouri Court Rules that “True Emergency” Required for EMTs to Claim Immunity
In a troubling decision issued on September 21, 2010, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that immunity protection for emergency responders will not protect them if they mistakenly conclude a patient is not seriously ill. The background of the case is important to understanding just how unsettling the decision is. First off, Missouri courts recognize the concept of official immunity. The court decision explains official immunity as “a judicially-created doctrine designed to protect public employees from liability for allegedly negligent acts committed during their performance of official duties.” It is a bit different from the more common sovereign immunity and statutory…
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Fire Prevention Chief Sues Under ADA Alleging Disability Discrimination
The chief of fire prevention in White River Township, Indiana, has filed suit alleging that the fire department discriminated against him under the Americans with Disabilities Act by suspending him and not allowing him to return to work after he suffered from seizures. Eric Brown began having seizures in 2008 and was diagnosed with a temporal lobe seizure disorder. He was cleared to return to work by his doctor and the fire department doctor. After returning to work, the fire department suspended Brown without pay for four disciplinary actions allegedly related to the seizures. In February 2009, Brown was placed…
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Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against DC Fire & EMS Over Toddler’s Death
The mother of a two-year old child who died after being denied transportation to the hospital has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the District of Columbia Fire and EMS and its acting Medical Director, Geoffrey Mount-Varner. Patrice Stephens, mother of 2 year old Stephanie Stephens, filed suit on September 30, 2010, alleging that the District of Columbia and Dr. Mount-Varner are “vicariously liable for the wrongful acts of the paramedic and emergency medical technicians who provided care and treatment to Stephanie Stephens.” Stephanie Stephens died of Streptococcal pneumonia on February 11, 2010 after paramedics refused to transport her to…
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Pittsburgh Snowstorm Death Lawsuit Filed
A lawsuit has been filed against Pittsburgh EMS over the tragic death last winter of Curtis Mitchell. Mitchell died during a severe snowstorm when paramedics refused to walk through the snow to reach him. His family called for an ambulance 10 times over a two day period last February. The suit names the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County's Department of Emergency Services, three EMS officials, paramedic Josie Dimon, three EMS supervisors, and a 911 dispatcher. Dimon was the individual recorded on tape as saying "He ain't (expletive) comin' down, and I ain't waiting all day for him. I mean, what…
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Birmingham Firefighters Challenge Unannounced 20% Pay Cut
Birmingham, Alabama firefighters filed suit against the city last Friday afternoon, September 24, 2010, hours after the city cut their pay by 20% without bargaining or giving them notice. According to one news source, firefighters learned about the cuts when they received their pay checks on Friday morning. The unannounced pay cuts were supposedly to offset two years of erroneous pay schedules that the city claims impacted approximately 600 firefighters. The city alleges that the salaries paid to firefighters were too high because the city incorrectly set their hourly pay rate the same as for police officers…. even though they…
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Uniontown Firefighters Prevail Against Effort to Eliminate the Department
A labor dispute in Uniontown, Pennsylvania has resulted in an arbitration panel ruling that the city must rehire laid off firefighters, and stop plans to lay off the remainder of the department at the end of the year. The ruling issued on September 24, 2010 will block the attempt by the city to create an all-volunteer department to save money. According to media sources, Mayor Ed Fike, who originally sought to eliminate the career firefighters, now plans to use a Federal grant to help fund the restored positions. The arbitration ruling also gave the firefighters a contract through 2014. More on…
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Mayor Trying To Evict Fire Company From Firehouse Owned By Fire Company
There are a number of nasty disputes going on around the country between volunteer firefighters and local politicians. Perhaps these types of disputes are inevitable. Lord knows that well over 90% of the career fire departments I come in contact with seem to be at war with their local politicians. Mayor Randy George of North Haledon, New Jersey who stopped the North Haledon Fire Company No. 1 from responding to alarms earlier this year, fired another broadside at the fire company by sending them a 90 day eviction notice. According to the letter dated September 10, 2010, if the fire company…
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Fire Chief Accused of Sexual Assault at City Hall
The Fire Chief of the Jeannette Fire Department in western Pennsylvania has been suspended with pay pending an investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted a women who had come to apply for a job with the department. Fire Chief Randy Dubich has not been charged, but stands accused of sexually assaulting a woman in his office at city hall on September 15, 2010. More on the story here. Obviously it is impossible for us to know what really happened, but the mere allegation of such misconduct is so devastating. If he did it, what was he thinking……
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Another Fire Department Facing OSHA Citations
The North Charleston, South Carolina, Fire Department was cited by state OSHA over injuries to three firefighters at a house fire on July 5, 2010. The department was cited for two serious violations, with fines totaled $2,000. One citation concerned accountability, and the other had to do with the two-in two out rule. Here's a newsclip on the story.
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Washington DC Fire Dept Investigates Nude Cooking Incident in Firehouse
I am not sure there is much to add to this headline or story. You can't make this stuff up. View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.
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Volunteer Fire Companies and Freedom of Information – Open Records Laws
Freedom of information laws have become such a vital part of how modern government operates, that it is hard to remember that prior to the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, much of the operations of government were cloaked in secrecy. Secret documents that never saw the light of day. Secret meetings that no one knew were being held. That all changed with the adoption of laws that go by a variety of names: freedom of information laws, sunshine laws, open meetings and open records laws. But how far do these laws go, and in particular do they apply to organizations…
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Indiana Volunteer Fire Dept Cited by OSHA…. State OSHA… Over Confined Space Rescue
There are a number of misunderstandings about the applicability of OSHA regulations to the fire service, and even more misunderstandings about whether or not OSHA is applicable to volunteers. I made sure to cover those issues in both of my books, but for those interested the short answer is – OSHA regulations may apply to fire departments, and when they do it usually includes volunteer fire departments. A recent case from Indiana gives us an opportunity to look at the laws. On May 26, 2010 the Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of two workers overcome in…
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