Tag Archives: public records

Fire Law Roundup for February 26, 2024

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for February 26, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the termination of a Tampa firefighter for falsifying EMS training records; a negligence suit brought by a fire captain in Washington state for injuries sustained ...

Judge Orders San Jose Fire Department to Release Records into Pink Poodle Strip Club Incident

A judge has ordered the San Jose Fire Department to turn over investigatory records from the Pink Poodle Strip Club incident to the San Jose Mercury News. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas E. Kuhnle issued the ruling on Friday concluding that the public records law mandates that the documents be released.

Fire Law Roundup for May 15, 2023

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for May 15, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a suit seeking compensation for fire academy recruits in the Los Angeles County Fire Department who were quarantined in a hotel during the COVID19 pandemic; ...

San Jose Fire’s Pink Poodle Strip Club Case Won’t Go Away Quietly

The San Jose Mercury News has filed suit against the City of San Jose seeking to obtain records related to the fire department investigation into the Pink Poodle strip club incident and the reported discipline of members involved. The suit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court pursuant to the state’s public records law.

NY Civil Liberties Union Sues FDNY To Release Disciplinary Records

The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against FDNY alleging a violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Act by not providing requested public records. The suit was filed in Kings County Supreme Court and seeks access to FDNY’s disciplinary records.

Michigan Policy Group Sues City Seeking Names of Firefighter High Earners

A public policy watchdog group has filed suit against City of Warren, Michigan seeking the names of firefighters who are among the city's high-wage earners. The city previously released the pay of its employees in response to a public records request, but refused to provide the associated names.

Burning Question on Retention of Fire Reports

Today’s Burning Question: We were cleaning out some of our office storage cabinets and found we have paper copies of our incident reports that go back into the 70’s. How long do we need to legally keep these reports? Answer: Fire reports need to be maintained as long as state law mandates, and perhaps longer

How Long to Maintain Training Records

Today’s burning question: Is there a recommended length of time an agency should keep training records such as class rosters? Our organization, to protect ourselves, archive all our records and have a management system for how long they are stored. Answer: Record retention requirements are highly jurisdiction specific and...

Firefighter Seeks Public Records on Legal Costs of Privatization Battle

An Illinois firefighter has filed a public records suit in hopes of exposing how much local officials in a neighboring village have spent on efforts to privatize their fire department. Scott Moran, a lieutenant with the Homewood Fire Department, alleges that the Village of North Riverside refused his request for public records showing how much the village has spent on legal fees associated with hiring a private fire department.

California Supreme Court Rules on Public’s Access to Public Employees’ Personal Email and Text Messaging Accounts

The Supreme Court of California has handed down a long-awaited ruling on the applicability of the state’s public records law to work related emails and text messages sent over a public employee’s personal devices and accounts.

AZ Firefighter Sues To Obtain Air To Ground Radio Recordings from Yarnell Hill Fire

A former Arizona firefighter is suing the United States Department of Agriculture to obtain recordings and transcripts of air-to-ground radio transmissions that took place during the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. The fire killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

Iowa City Files Public Records Suits Over Dispatch Center

A dispute in Iowa over a county dispatch center has led to two public records suits being filed by the City of Keokuk. One of the suits names the Lee County Fire Chiefs Association and its president, Neil Gathers, while the other names the City of West Point and its leadership.

Fire Department Email Addresses Versus Email Forwarding

Today’s burning question: From a legal stand point would it be better to use an email forwarding system that sends work emails to firefighters’ personal email addresses or to provide each member with a true email account with log in and server space?

Newspaper Sues Ohio State Fire Marshal To Release LODD Fire Records

The Cincinnati Enquirer is suing the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office in an effort to obtain records related to a fire that claimed the life of Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman. Wolterman died on December 28, 2015 at a house fire.

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