You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

The City of Houston has agreed to settle the claims of a former fire captain over the unlawful accessing and sharing a nude video of her. An intimate video of Melinda Abbt was accessed and circulated among firefighters, one of whom was held liable last year for violation of a Texas law titled “Unlawful Disclosure or Promotion of Intimate Visual Material.”

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Police in Ramapo, New York have arrested a member of an unauthorized religion-based fire brigade and charged him with interfering with firefighters who were working to extinguish a structure fire on Nov. 27, 2024. Jacob Silberstein is facing 3 misdemeanor charges, obstructing firefighter operations, reckless endangerment, and obstructing government administration.

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An Oregon fire district that experienced a YCMTSU problem resulting in two federal lawsuits in 2023, is back in the Fire Law news with the filing of a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit by two former captains. The captains claim they were forced to resign after reporting what they considered to be violations of the law by the fire chief brought in to right the ship.

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A UK firefighter has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for taking and sharing photos of the body of a man killed in a car crash. Cameron Hancel took the photos in March, 2023 while working for the West Midlands Fire Service.

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Two Alabama firefighters are facing criminal charges over an incident that occurred on September 20, 2024. The incident involved a firefighter who reportedly refused to stop for the county sheriff while operating a fire truck, and the department’s fire chief who was upset about the arrest.

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A Kansas City firefighter-paramedic with two pending employment discrimination lawsuits has agreed to settle both suits, and not file a third, in exchange for a $1.3 million settlement. Rebecca Reynolds, 61, alleged she endured over twenty years of harassment and discrimination.

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The YCMTSU criminal case against an Ottawa firefighter and his officer arising out of a firehouse scuffle, has come to a close with both being found not guilty of all charges. The scuffle was precipitated by what began as a friendly dispute involving a senior firefighter who wanted to handle dishwashing chores, and a rookie who insisted on doing it themselves.

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An administrative assistant with Frederick County (VA) Fire and Rescue has filed suit against the county seeking $10 million in damages for retaliation, violation of the state’s whistleblower protection law, and defamation. The complaint alleges that a “marine boot-camp” style training academy nearly killed her son in 2022, and contributed to the death of another recruit in 2023.

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The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a mayor who retaliates against a fire chief for refusing to make false statements to the public about a matter of public concern, is not entitled to qualified immunity. As a result, a mayor could be liable to the chief for violating his First Amendment rights.

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A captain with the Odessa Fire Rescue has been demoted following an investigation into nude photos taken at his firehouse. Captain Orlando Rios was suspended for 10 days without pay, and demoted to lieutenant.

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A contentious lawsuit brought by a former assistant chief in New Haven, Connecticut against several other chief officers has finally come to a conclusion. Orlando Marcano, who was the Assistant Chief of Administration, filed suit in 2019 naming Fire Chief John Alston, Assistant Chief of Operations Mark Vendetto, IAFF Local 825 Union President Frank Ricci, and an administrative assistant, Cherlyn Poindexter.

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A former EMT and fire commissioner with the Woodmere Fire District was sentenced one-year in jail for falsifying a court transcript related to the dismissal of criminal charges against him for something that occurred while he was responding to an elevator emergency.

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A Los Angeles County fire captain who was shot by a disgruntled firefighter in 2021, has reached a settlement with the shooter’s estate. Captain Arnoldo V. Sandoval suffered serious injuries including paralysis in the shooting that occurred at Station 81 on June 1, 2021 following shift change.

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A Massachusetts firefighter has been arrested on federal identity theft charges. He is suspected of having stolen the identity of a dead person following his conviction for embezzling from the firefighters’ union of a different Massachusetts fire department and using his new identity to rejoin the fire service.

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