South Carolina Police-Fire Wars Arrest Leads to Wrongful Arrest Suit

Two South Carolina firefighters have filed suit against the local sheriff for false arrest and malicious prosecution following a police-fire wars skirmish last year. Fire Chief Andy Martin of the West Chester Volunteer Fire Department and his brother, firefighter Tommy Martin were arrested following an altercation with Chester County Sheriffs that occurred at the scene of a jackknifed tractor-trailer accident in February, 2014.

Birmingham Firefighters Challenge Unannounced 20% Pay Cut

Birmingham, Alabama firefighters filed suit against the city last Friday afternoon, September 24, 2010, hours after the city cut their pay by 20% without bargaining or giving them notice. According to one news source, firefighters learned about the cuts when ...

Legal Challenge by Palo Alto Committee Results In Change To “Misleading” Firefighter Staffing Ballot Initiative

At a time when local officials have made, and continue to make, drastic cuts in fire departments in an effort to deal with the financial crisis, Palo Alto Firefighters Local 1319 found a novel way to ensure that the public ...

Disturbing but Not Surprising News from the Cincinnati Fire Department: Firefighters Gone Wild

Nearly nine months ago, I stumbled upon the idea of creating a database to look at the legal issues confronting the fire service. No one really had the information I was looking for – and the idea fascinated me. The ...

Political Signs and Firefighters: 1st Amendment Case

A Federal Court in New Jersey last week ruled against a firefighter who claimed his department violated his 1st and 14th Amendment rights. Edison firefighter Peter Yackel parked his personal pickup truck in the parking lot of his firehouse on ...

Bailout Law for Firefighters

When someone refers to a bailout law these days, it’s usually got something to do with the current economic crisis. However, the state of New York State Department of Labor Code recently issued a new occupational safety and health regulation ...

Reverse Discrimination lawsuit against Bridgeport settled

Reverse discrimination lawsuits filed against the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, by twelve white and Hispanic firefighters alleging reverse discrimination were settled on December 1, 2009. The law suit filed in federal court in April alleged that the city had illegally denied promotions ...

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