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

Tag Archives: Guy Valentine

DC Chief Acknowledges Mistake on Discipline

Here is a followup on the story from Monday about the DC fire lieutenant who retired and escaped discipline. Lt. Guy Valentine was accused of a delaying his response to the choking death of 18-month-old Martin Cuesta on March 18, 2015. Despite being three blocks from the scene, it took crews nearly 11 minutes to arrive on scene. Lt. Valentine reportedly retired over the holidays as he awaited a trial board on disciplinary charges.

Retirement of DC Lieutenant Raises Question of Pension Following Dishonorable Service

Today’s burning question: Can a firefighter who is facing disciplinary action, avoid facing any punishment for his misconduct by quickly retiring before he can be terminated? Answer: An employee can resign at any time and there is nothing an employer can do to stop a separation of service from occurring. However, the employee’s entitlement to a pension is another story. A pension can be conditioned on honorable service.

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.

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