Training

A discrimination lawsuit filed by an FDNY probationary firefighter whose minor injuries caused him to be removed from two academies, has been dismissed. Xavier Lopez claims he was discriminated against on account of his Hispanic heritage.

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A 46-year-old recruit who was terminated from the Howard County Fire Department’s fire academy in 2018 has filed suit in federal court alleging age discrimination. Robert D. Whittaker, III, filed suit in US District Court for the District of Maryland.

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In this episode Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss the upcoming FLSA for Fire Departments web-conference May 11-14, 2021, and plans for the next web-conference October 5-8, 2021. In addition three new Advanced FLSA webinars have been scheduled for the fall of 2021.

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Today’s burning question: I am a volunteer fire chief and have been very interested in taking your FLSA course May 11-14, 2021. Is there any way to just take the section related to volunteer issues at a reduced rate? The other sections are interesting but are not the focus of what I need to know.

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Ohio’s Third Appellate District Court of Appeals rejected the appeal of a firefighter who was terminated for failing to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians during his probationary period. Mark Evans filed suit against Shawnee Township in 2019, alleging breach of contract, and wrongful discharge

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An Illinois firefighter who was catastrophically injured in 2016 during a live fire training exercise, has lost his appeal to get health insurance benefits that are available to firefighters injured when responding to actual emergencies. Sean T. Heneghan was a firefighter for the City of Evanston.

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A district chief who was assigned to the St. Paul Fire Department’s training academy until he retired last December, has filed suit in federal court claiming he was retaliated and constructively terminated. District Chief Jovan Palmieri filed suit yesterday in US District Court for the District of Minneapolis.

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A seasonal wildland firefighter from California has filed suit seeking to challenge the California Emergency Medical Services Authority’s rule that prohibits two-time felons from being certified as EMTs. Dario Gurrola filed suit last week alleging a violation of the 14th Amendment...

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The Chief Administrative Officer at the Virginia Department of Fire Programs is facing allegations that she stole funds from the organization. She has been charged with four felony counts of obtaining money under false pretenses.

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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...

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A cheating scandal during an EMT class in Indiana has cost one firefighter recruit his job, and led to the discipline of several others. The incident involved recruits from South Bend and Mishawaka who were taking an advanced EMT class at Memorial Hospital last summer.

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Today’s burning question: If a firefighter is given their scheduled shift off to attend training, do we count the hours that the firefighter was scheduled to work as time worked for overtime purposes? If a firefighter is scheduled to work 240 hours in a 28-day work period, and the department gives the firefighter two 24-hour shifts off to attend a class, is the firefighter still entitled to 28 hours of overtime for that work period?

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A second federal lawsuit has been filed by family members of a man whose body was used to practice intubation skills in a Bellingham, Washington firehouse. Jai Ginn filed earlier this month naming the City of Bellingham, eleven firefighters, and the Whatcom County Medical Program‘s director.

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In this episode, Curt discusses an FLSA lawsuit filed by a Memphis firefighter, Jon Misewicz, over the issue of whether firefighters have to be compensated for attending mandatory paramedic training. Misewizc v. City of Memphis is the definitive ruling on the compensability of EMS training time for firefighters.

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