Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone

IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma, along with the IAFF and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles - IAFF Local 112, have filed suit against the City of Los Angeles and two chief officers alleging that a reprimand he received violated his First Amendment rights and the California Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 29, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the settlement of a fatal ambulance crash in Texas; criminal charges brought against a former Ohio fire chief who harassed a female firefighter; a federal ...

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The City of Victoria, Texas has settled a lawsuit arising out of a fatal fire department ambulance accident for $500,000. The accident occurred on May 5, 2022 when the ambulance with three firefighters on board collided with a civilian vehicle containing Frank and Betty Roeder.

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A wrongful termination suit brought by an Ohio fire chief has been dismissed, and he is now facing criminal charges related to allegations of sexual harassment. Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson was initially placed on administrative leave in June, 2023, and then terminated following allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted a female firefighter.

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The US District Court for the ED of LA has ruled that a fire department does not violate the 4th Amendment by requiring all personnel to submit to fingerprinting. Five firefighters with the East Bank Consolidated Special Service FPD filed suit last year, objecting to the district’s plan to use fingerprinting technology to clock in and out of work.

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An Oregon jury has awarded $203,900 in damages to a lieutenant with the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. Lieutenant Daniel Krug filed suit claiming he was pressured to remove himself from a promotional list for captain, and discriminated against on the basis of disability, veterans’ status, and whistleblower status.

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A woman who was acquitted of arson charges last year for a fire that occurred in 2022, has filed suit against the Binghamton Fire Department and several law enforcement agencies that she claims were responsible for her malicious prosecution and fourteen months of incarceration. Marquetta James filed suit naming 6 entities and 7 individuals as defendants.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 22, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss a guilty plea entered by a St. Louis firefighter who stole a patient’s wallet and credit card; a race discrimination suit brought by a Savannah ...

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A St. Louis firefighter who was accused of using a credit card that belonged to the victim of a vehicular accident he responded to last year, has pled guilty to receiving stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit card. Arnold S. Britt, 41, pled guilty to one felony and one misdemeanor charge, and in the process admitted to stealing the man’s wallet and credit card.

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A Savannah battalion chief who was demoted to captain after he complained about race discrimination, has filed suit alleging discrimination and retaliation. Jeffrey Croslen filed suit in US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia against City of Savannah and Fire Chief Elzie Kitchen.

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A Denver firefighter has filed suit against the city claiming he was required to work more than 40 hours per week while attending the 18-week fire academy, and not compensated for those extra hours. Shane Walters filed the FLSA lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Colorado as a class action.

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An EMS trainer is suing Dallas Fire Rescue and two individuals alleging copyright infringement for copying and sharing his training materials. Jon Puryear EMS CE, LLC filed suit in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

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The Appellate Division of NJ Superior Court has upheld a decision by the NJ Civil Service Commission ordering that a recruit for the Jersey City Fire Department be reinstated and admitted to another fire academy. Mina Ekladious washed out of the Morris County Fire Academy in 2019.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 15, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss a disciplinary investigation into a Kentucky firefighter caught hanging out of the window of a moving Cadillac while wearing a department t-shirt; the dismissal of ...

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