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

Two recent state supreme court decisions have called into question whether certain types of time-off for union officials violates state constitutional provisions on gifts. The Arizona & Texas Supreme Courts handed down strikingly similar rulings that differed primarily in the specifics of the time-off provisions for union officials.

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Sixteen members of the Hackensack Fire Department have filed suit seeking overtime compensation for the time they conducted various inspections outside on their normally assigned shifts. The firefighters allege they were paid $25 per hour while performing the inspections, which is substantially lower than their current hourly rate.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 5, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the demotion of an Odessa, Texas fire captain following an investigation into nude photos being taken in the firehouse; a lawsuit filed by a South ...

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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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An assistant chief who retired last year, is suing his former department and two chief officers claiming he was forced to resign after reporting misconduct. Assistant Chief Brian Christmas filed suit earlier this year naming the City of Sumter, the fire chief and an assistant chief as defendants.

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The Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court has upheld the termination of a firefighter who was working full-time for the military while employed full-time as a municipal firefighter, and kept each agency in the dark about his employment with the other.

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Three men have been charged in connection with a fire that claimed the life of a Chicago firefighter in 2023. FF Jermaine Pelt was killed on April 4, 2023 while fighting a fire on the south side of Chicago.

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IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma, along with the IAFF and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles - IAFF Local 112, have filed suit against the City of Los Angeles and two chief officers alleging that a reprimand he received violated his First Amendment rights and the California Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 29, 2024, Brad and Curt discuss the settlement of a fatal ambulance crash in Texas; criminal charges brought against a former Ohio fire chief who harassed a female firefighter; a federal ...

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The City of Victoria, Texas has settled a lawsuit arising out of a fatal fire department ambulance accident for $500,000. The accident occurred on May 5, 2022 when the ambulance with three firefighters on board collided with a civilian vehicle containing Frank and Betty Roeder.

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A wrongful termination suit brought by an Ohio fire chief has been dismissed, and he is now facing criminal charges related to allegations of sexual harassment. Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson was initially placed on administrative leave in June, 2023, and then terminated following allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted a female firefighter.

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The US District Court for the ED of LA has ruled that a fire department does not violate the 4th Amendment by requiring all personnel to submit to fingerprinting. Five firefighters with the East Bank Consolidated Special Service FPD filed suit last year, objecting to the district’s plan to use fingerprinting technology to clock in and out of work.

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An Oregon jury has awarded $203,900 in damages to a lieutenant with the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. Lieutenant Daniel Krug filed suit claiming he was pressured to remove himself from a promotional list for captain, and discriminated against on the basis of disability, veterans’ status, and whistleblower status.

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A woman who was acquitted of arson charges last year for a fire that occurred in 2022, has filed suit against the Binghamton Fire Department and several law enforcement agencies that she claims were responsible for her malicious prosecution and fourteen months of incarceration. Marquetta James filed suit naming 6 entities and 7 individuals as defendants.

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