administration-leadership

In this episode, Curt and Bill Maccarone continue their discussion about FLSA overtime issues in the fire service with an introduction to the so-called white-collar exemptions that allow employees classified as executives, administrative or professionals to be exempt from minimum wage and maximum hours requirements.

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In one of the largest cases of theft in the history of the volunteer fire service, the treasurer of the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department pled guilty today to numerous charges. Michael Klein was accused of embezzling over $5.6 million from the fire company over a thirteen-year period, starting in January 2002 until September 2015.

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A lawsuit filed in 2013 by a firefighters’ union that accused the fire chief, the city manager, the mayor and city councilmembers with “ongoing retaliation, harassment, and discrimination” has been settled for $3.7 million.

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In this episode, Curt and Bill Maccarone provide an overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act. No other law impacts fire department operations nor costs local governments more than the FLSA. Since 1985 when the US Supreme Court decided Garcia ...

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The Los Angeles City Fire Department is again facing another employment discrimination lawsuit, this time by a group of fire prevention inspectors who claim they have been harassed and discriminated against. The suit was filed yesterday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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A deputy chief who was fired in 2015 has been awarded $1 million by a jury for disability discrimination. Chula Vista Deputy Chief James Garcia was fired in 2015 hours after the department learned he needed surgery on his neck.

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DC fire inspector Jadonna Sanders is under investigation for an anti-Trump post made on inauguration day that said “Where is John Hinckley when you need him?” The reference is to John Hinckley, the man who shot President Reagan in 1981.

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A suit filed by two Vermont firefighters who were terminated for refusing to sign a confidentiality agreement have been reinstated and their federal lawsuit settled for $60,000. Former Fire Chief Christopher Gonyeau and veteran firefighter Heather Grimm were terminated from the Georgia Fire Department in 2016.

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Former Los Angeles Fire Marshal John Vidovich has filed a lawsuit accusing Mayor Eric Garcetti and IAFF Local 112, the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) of conspiring to remove him as fire marshal.

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Today’s burning question: We recently purchased harnesses and bailout kits for all of our members. What is the best way to word the SOG to protect the department liability-wise in the event members refuse to wear the kit? Answer: Great question. First of all, you really have two separate questions and despite your concerns about liability, neither of them are liability questions.

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Today’s burning question: I just saw that the 4th Circuit struck down a police department’s social media policy based on the First Amendment. I live in Nevada, which is part of the 9th Circuit. Will that ruling be binding here? Answer: Boy, there sure is a lot of interest in that 4th Circuit case. I have received over 25 emails and social media contacts TODAY ALONE.

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The City of Dallas is staring down the barrel of a $4 billion lawsuit filed 22 years ago by firefighters and police officers who claim they were shortchanged on pay raises. The lawsuit, filed in 1994, is the longest-running lawsuit currently in the Texas court system. It accuses the city of reneging on pay-raise requirements passed in a 1979 referendum.

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Today’s burning question: What legal responsibility does a volunteer fire chief have for things that happen at the firehouse when the chief has left and gone home?  If things like drinking on station property (which is already prohibited), minors being ...

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A wildland firefighter with the US Forest Service testified before Congress last week about what she considered to be pervasive sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the federal agencies that manage public lands. Denice Rice, a Fire Prevention Technician for ...

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