Apparatus

Seattle Settles Ambulance Crash for $65.7 Million

The City of Seattle has settled an apparatus accident case with a catastrophically injured attorney for a whopping $65.7 million. The accident occurred on April 24, 2016 when a Seattle Fire Department ambulance proceeded through a red light without stopping, and collided with a Porsche 911 driven by attorney Brooke Taylor.

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PA Ambulance Driver Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter

A Pennsylvania ambulance driver pled guilty this week to homicide charges related to a vehicle accident that resulted in the deaths of two people, including his passenger-patient. On Monday, Jeffrey R. Gable, of the Trust Ambulance pled guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault by vehicle, and three summary traffic violations.

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Backing Death Case Headed to Ohio Supreme Court

The husband of a woman who was run over by a backing fire truck is appealing a ruling that granted immunity to the fire department. Lorri Riehm, 53, was killed in 2016 when she was run over by a Green Springs Rural Volunteer Fire Department vehicle that was repositioning at the scene of a water rescue incident.

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FDNY Hearing Loss Case Reinstated

One hundred and fifty FDNY firefighters who filed suit in Pennsylvania against American LaFrance and Federal Signal Corporation, got good news yesterday as the Pennsylvania Superior Court reinstated their hearing loss claims. The firefighters were grouped into seven separate cohorts that filed separate lawsuits in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County in 2015.

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Pennsylvania Teen Charged With Stealing Fire Truck

A former junior firefighter with the Strinestown Community Fire Department has been charged with stealing one of the department’s fire trucks and taking it for a joyride last Sunday. The youth was observed on surveillance video using a stolen Ford Explorer to push in an overhead door to access the fire station.

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Fire Law Headlines and a Familiar Name

Some folks just can’t seem to keep themselves out of the headlines. For instance, take FDNY’s Joseph Cassano, who was suspended yesterday after he was cited for trespassing on the Jersey Shore. Cassano, the son of former Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano, has been in the Fire Law Blog news at least six times prior to today.

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Washington Firefighter Charged With Stealing Ambulance

A recently dismissed member of the Rosalia Fire Department has been arrested and charged with taking one of the department’s ambulances for about a nine-hour period last Sunday morning. Kelly Brown, 35, is accused of burglary and theft in connection with the ambulance joyride.

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California Fire Department Suing Ferrara Over Problem Aerial

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department is suing Ferrara Fire Apparatus claiming that a $1 million aerial ladder they took delivery of in 2014 is a lemon. The apparatus, which has been out of service for the past 13 months, has experienced a number of mechanical problems that Ferrara initially addressed.

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San Francisco Investigating On-Duty Drinking Incident

The San Francisco Fire Department is back in the headlines with another news report about on-duty personnel drinking. The department is investigating an incident that occurred last September at Station 11 where on-duty personnel were hosting a party for a member who was being transferred.

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