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

Tag Archives: ETOH

Dallas Fire Sued Over Death of Intoxicated Man in Police Custody

Two firefighters from Dallas Fire Rescue have been named in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of a man who died while in police custody. Juan Segovia died on June 30, 2019 after being found unresponsive and transported by Dallas Police to the City Detention Center, referred to in the complaint as the “drunk tank.”

Intoxication, Reports, Facts And Conclusions

Today’s Burning Question: I am a firefighter paramedic and we were told that noting in a patient care report that we suspect that a patient is under the influence of alcohol can get us into trouble. In fact one paramedic reportedly got ripped apart in court by even using the word alcohol in his report. What are we supposed to do? If I write in my report that the patient smelled of alcohol am I really sticking my neck out?

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.

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