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

Tag Archives: Fire Chief Thomas Ronalter

Connecticut Firefighter Settles Race Discrimination Claims for $290k

A New Britain firefighter who was disciplined for taking down a gallery of white fire chiefs' photos to protest the absence of a photo of the department’s first black fire chief, has settled his discrimination claim with the city. Daylon Hudson claims that the city’s refusal to include a photo of former Fire Chief Mark Carr among a collection of fire chiefs at the department’s headquarters was race based.

Connecticut Fire Chief On Leave Over Racial Insensitivity

The fire chief of the New Britain Fire Department has been placed on leave following an investigation report that concluded the department’s sagging morale was in part attributable to his racial insensitivity. Mayor Erin Stewart placed Fire Chief Thomas Ronalter on leave effective tomorrow.

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.

Name
First Last
Email*
Address*
State
Job Title
Company
CAPTCHA