General legal issues

Law School and the Fire Service

Today’s burning question: I am an active duty military firefighter and have been in the fire service for 8 years. Over the next year I'll be making the transition back to civilian life. I really want to go to law school but I also want to stay a part of the fire service. What would be the best undergraduate major for a fire service attorney that would prepare me to excel in law school? Can I remain in the fire service as an attorney? Where should I start or be at?

New Charlotte Fire Headquarters Embroiled in Litigation

The Charlotte Fire Department’s new $11 million headquarters, already over a year behind schedule, is now embroiled in litigation.

A Common Law Duty to Have an AED Available?

Here is a posting from fellow blogger Greg Slusser that he kindly agreed to share with Fire Law Blog. It is not a fire service case per se but the issues are certainly of concern to firefighters as the common ...

Boston Fire Chief Threatens to Sue His Deputy Chiefs

Boston Fire Chief Steve E. Abraira has threatened to file suit against the 13 deputy chiefs who criticized him in a letter to Mayor Thomas M. Menino following the Boston Marathon bombing. The threats were contained in a letter was ...

The Costs Of Medical Helicopters

Medical helicopter transports can be a life saver, but after the fact can be a bank breaker.

New Jersey Borough Settles Siren Suit

A New Jersey borough has settled a contentious lawsuit over the location of two new fire sirens. Gerard Misk, an attorney and an Englewood Cliffs school board member, filed the suit against the borough of Englewood Cliffs last December ...

NY Audit Discloses a Huge What???

A New York fire district is facing an unusual problem: what to do with a $5.2 million undesignated surplus uncovered in a state audit. The headache (to the extent a surplus can be a headache) belongs to the Brentwood Fire ...

Will Leaves $140k to Small Minnesota Fire Department

A small Minnesota fire department has received an early Christmas present, courtesy of a bequest from a local resident who was grateful for the hard work and thoughtfulness of the firefighters. Eleanor Sanford, 99, of Dakota, died in September and ...

Firefighter’s Right of Entry

This month in Firehouse Magazine, my Fire Law column Can a Homeowner Just Say No focused on the right of firefighters to enter onto someone’s property with or without their permission to investigate and extinguish a fire. From the phone calls, ...

Montana Fire District’s Accident Response Fee Challenged

A Montana resident has filed suit to block a rural fire district from charging an accident response fee to owners of vehicles involved in accidents to which the fire department responds. The Polson Rural Fire District, a fully volunteer operation, ...

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