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

Three members of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue have resigned as the investigation continues into the deadly training exercise that claimed the life of non-firefighter. Public Safety Chief James Reyes told NBC Miami that Franciso A. Camero, Steven Colon and Rafael Fernandez resigned on October 30, 2024.

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A bicyclist who claims he was injured by a Columbia River Fire & Rescue ambulance and then billed for the ambulance transport to the hospital, has filed suit seeking approximately $1 million in damages. William Hoesch filed suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court naming Columbia River Fire & Rescue and Allstate Insurance as defendants.

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The Massachusetts Court of Appeals has upheld the decision of the Springfield Fire Commissioner to bypass the promotion of a fire captain to district chef. Springfield Captain Pierre Grenier was bypassed in 2019 in favor of three lower ranked candidates.

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The termination of a West Virginia fire chief earlier this year, has been upheld the city’s civil service commission. Clarksburg Fire Chief Stephen McIntire was fired by City Manager Tiffany last June.

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A Los Angeles County firefighter has filed suit alleging the county’s failure to address the ongoing harassment by another firefighter violated state anti-discrimination laws. Guilherme Guimaraes filed suit in LA County Superior Court alleging three counts of violating the CA Fair Employment & Housing Act.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for November 4, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss a decision by the Ohio Supreme Court who refused to order the removal of a fire chief; the severing of a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed ...

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The New Jersey Court of Appeals has ruled that an Asian-American firefighter who was clearly harassed on one-occasion by a ranking officer, was not subjected to a hostile work environment and thus does not have a right to recover from the fire department. Firefighter Timothy Burkhard filed suit against the City of Plainfield.

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The Ohio Supreme Court has refused to order the removal of a fire chief whose appointment was challenged by an assistant chief who served as the interim fire chief. Assistant Chief Patrick Johnson contended that when he was sworn in as interim Fire Chief for the City of Brook Park on September 7, 2022, his appointment became permanent.

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A firefighter who sued two different Ohio townships alleging gender and pregnancy discrimination, will now have to proceed separately against each township following a court’s decision to sever the cases. Kara Cruikshank filed suit against Berne Township and Pleasant Township over her treatment following her pregnancy in 2022.

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An Indianapolis battalion chief who was suspended for 24 hours for violating the department’s social media policy, has filed suit alleging gender discrimination, violation of her First Amendment rights, and retaliation. BC Candace Ashby filed suit yesterday in US District Court for the District of Indiana.

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The Illinois Court of Appeals has ruled that it is an unfair labor practice for a fire department to unilaterally alter the qualifications of those eligible for shift-trades. In doing so the court affirmed a decision by the Illinois Labor Relations Board in favor of the Park Ridge Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 2697.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 28, 2024, Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss a lawsuit filed by a Tennessee chief over his termination; a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a Kansas firefighter; an appellate decision ruling that ...

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A Tennessee fire chief who was terminated earlier this year, has filed suit alleging he was retaliated against for reporting a former employee who self-deployed to a reported school shooting with an AR-15. Former Columbia Fire Chief Ty Cobb filed suit naming the city of Columbia and City Manager Tony Massey as defendants.

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A Kansas firefighter who was terminated in 2021 for “sewing seeds of distrust and discord” has filed suit against her former employer alleging sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. Jessica Shrewsbury filed suit against Shawnee Heights Fire district and the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners.

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