Web/Tech

The suicide of a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue firefighter appears to be the result of sex-based cyber-bullying, perhaps precipitated by her colleagues. The body of firefighter Nicole Mittendorff was found earlier this week in Shenandoah National Park after an exhaustive six-day search.

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Today’s burning question: From a legal stand point would it be better to use an email forwarding system that sends work emails to firefighters’ personal email addresses or to provide each member with a true email account with log in and server space?

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The existence of a federal court suit filed in 2014 against an Alabama fire chief and mayor has come to light after someone spray painted the front of fire department headquarters with the words “Chief Syx is a racist”. The case involves the Bessemer Fire Department...

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Today’s burning question: If a firefighter’s personal device such as a cellphone connects to a wireless network provided by a governmental agency, is the information transmitted automatically subject to the state’s public records law? Answer: Whether an electronic communication is a public record has nothing to do with how it is transmitted.

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A Facebook post that prompted over 60,000 responses including comments from Hillary Clinton and other elected officials, prompted a post from Cleveland firefighter that is now the center of an investigation. On July 3, Humans of New York posted a photo of a weeping child saying, “I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.”

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It is not often that we have the opportunity to discuss trademark law here at Fire Law Blog, but a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the International Association of Fire Fighters alleges trademark infringement as well as a variety of related claims. The IAFF filed suit last month against Rescue Tees.com, LLC and its owner, Theresa Meyer, alleging trademark infringement...

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A Tucson Fire Department paramedic is facing criminal charges for his role in a sick leave-overtime scam intended to pad his pension. Herbert Oxnam was indicted on four felony counts of fraud for conduct that took place on a series of dates between May and August, 2013.

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Today’s burning question: Can my fire department prohibit me from sending a union related email to coworkers using the fire department’s email system? Answer: If your fire department is in a state that tends to follow the National Labor Relations Board, probably not!

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has ruled that drones are aircraft and within the scope of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to regulate. At present, the FAA is not allowing drones to be used commercially. That includes the commercial use of drones to gather news footage at emergency incidents.

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San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White has decided to rescind the reprimand she previous issued to Battalion Chief Mark Johnson for taking an unauthorized helmet cam video at the scene of the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 last July. ...

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The social media age is upon us, and one of the exciting things about the new wild west of cyberspace is there are no rules. We all are learning as we go. We learn from the successes… and failures… of ...

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A New Jersey fire department has become the unexpected beneficiary of court awarded attorney fees in a digital age public records case. Last January developer 297 Palisade Avenue Urban Renewal Company LLC filed suit against the Borough of Bogata seeking ...

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A Washington state fire captain is contesting discipline handed down over his use of the fire department email system to deliver religious messages. Spokane Valley Fire Department Captain Jon Sprague was suspended without pay for two 24-hour shifts for conduct ...

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The fallout over the Facebook comments by Miami-Dade Captain Brian Beckmann on the Trayvon Martin shooting case continue to keep folks in Florida and beyond on edge. Captain Beckmann’s commentary on “urban youth” and “ignorant, pathetic” parents reignited the simmering controversy that ...

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