Wrongful Death Suit Over California Wildland Air Drop To Continue

A lawsuit filed by the family of a Utah battalion chief killed when a Very Large Air Tanker (VLOT) dropped 19,600 gallons of fire retardant on his position while operating at the Mendocino Complex Fire in California in 2018, will continue following a ruling by a US District Court judge.

Massachusetts SJC Upholds Reinstatement of Brookline Firefighter

The ongoing saga of Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston took another step toward closure with the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upholding a decision by the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission to order his reinstatement to the fire department.

Insubordination As A Disciplinary Charge

Today’s burning question: What is "insubordination"? I am so tired of people trying to make fire departments into paramilitary organizations. We are not the military, it’s a vocation. Insubordination has no place in the fire service as a basis for discipline. Answer: While you are correct that fire departments in the US are not part of the military, the term paramilitary has several definitions.

SF Fire Department Paramedic Alleges Gender, Pregnancy and Lactation Discrimination

A paramedic captain with the San Francisco Fire Department has filed an 18-count complaint in federal court alleging an assortment of gender, pregnancy, and lactation-based claims. Sarah Perata filed suit last week in US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Missouri Supreme Court Upholds Law Mandating City to Pay Fire Protection District

The Supreme Court of Missouri has upheld a state law requiring cities that annex property in a fire protection district to pay the district “what the district would have collected in tax revenue within the annexed area.” The case involved a challenge brought by the City of Crestwood against the Affton Fire Protection District.

KCK Firefighter Awarded $2.4 Million For Race Discrimination

A Kansas City, Kansas firefighter who was suspended without pay in 2016 for working a second job while on sick leave, has been awarded $2.4 million in damages for race discrimination. Jyan Harris claims the department discriminated against him because he is African American.

NJ Court Rules Assignment of Probationary Firefighters Is Bargainable

Where firefighters are able to collectively bargaining, what subjects are bargainable, and what subjects not? That question intrigued me in law school to the point that it became the focus of my senior thesis: The Scope of Collective Bargaining for Firefighters.

Bridgeport Firefighter Loses Third Bid To Reverse Termination

A Bridgeport, Connecticut firefighter who was terminated in 2012 following his arrest for insurance fraud, has lost a third lawsuit alleging that he was wrongful terminated. James Jackson was accused of falsely reporting that several thousand dollars worth of personal items had been stolen in a burglary in order to collect from his insurer.

PA Chief Pleads Guilty to Theft

A former Pennsylvania fire chief who embezzled more than $84,000 over a seven-year period from his fire volunteer department, has pled guilty. Adam Kauer, 39, had been the fire chief of the East Carnegie Volunteer Fire Department from 2012 to 2019.

Washington Fire Chief Awarded $734k For Wrongful Termination

A Washington fire chief was who terminated following a vote of no-confidence by the firefighter’s union, has been awarded $734,376.50 in damages by a federal court. Chief David Bathke was fired in 2019 by Ocean Shores Mayor Crystal Dingler after he refused her requests to resign.

Accused Bricelyn Street Arsonist Will Face Federal Jury 26 Years Later

The man whose state court conviction for setting a fire that killed three Pittsburgh firefighters in 1995 was set aside due to prosecutorial misconduct, will have to face a retrial after all in federal court. Gregory Brown Jr. was convicted of setting the Bricelyn Street Fire on Valentine’s day, 1995.

Wyoming Supreme Court Upholds Reinstatement and Damages To Laramie Firefighter Terminated in 2012

The Supreme Court of Wyoming has upheld a jury verdict in favor of the estate of a Laramie firefighter who was fired in 2012, ordered reinstated in 2016, and who sued a second time in 2017 after the city refused to rehire him. Bret Vance filed the second suit after city officials in 2017 claimed he was ineligible to be rehired despite a 2016 Wyoming Supreme Court ruling that essentially mandated it.

Texas Supreme Court Upholds Police Entry Into Premises At Fire Department’s Request

When a firefighter, in the line of duty, asks law enforcement for a safety check after seeing drug paraphernalia, guns, and flammable liquids in an apartment, is the officer's entry into the apartment reasonable under the Fourth Amendment? Today the Texas Supreme Court said yes.

Chicago OIG Releases Report on Fire Department Discrimination

The Inspector General for the City of Chicago released a long-awaited report into race discrimination and sexual harassment in the Chicago Fire Department. The 51-page report titled an “Audit of Policies and Practices Related to Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Within the Chicago Fire Department,” outlines the reasons for the investigation and the OIG’s findings.

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