Court Upholds Termination of Medic Fired For Lying on Application

A decision to terminate a Georgia paramedic who sought a religious accommodation for facial hair, has been upheld by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals because he falsified his employment application. The case was brought by Bataski Bailey, who was hired and fired by Metro Ambulance Services dba American Medical Response in 2015.

Discipline, Deception and Hard Cases

Today’s burning question: I was disciplined last week because I called in sick to go to my daughter’s hockey game. Her team was in the championship and I could not get anyone to cover my shift. I am being demoted from captain to engineer but we had a captain who got caught lying on-duty and he got virtually no punishment. Why am I being demoted and he get’s a slap on the wrist? Answer: My father has a saying: hard cases make bad law.

Chief Officer Accused of Trying to Influence Subordinate’s Testimony

A chief officer from Hartford, Connecticut, who has been in the public spotlight on a number of accounts, is now being accused of trying a influence a subordinate's testimony in a disciplinary proceeding. Deputy Chief Terry Waller is accused of suggesting to Fire Captain Luis Ocasio that he be less than candid in his testimony in a hearing for a firefighter accused of being intoxicated while on duty...

YCMTSU Los Angeles Assault Case Goes to Trial

An LA City firefighter and his mother are on trial for assaulting a woman who they claim had been feeding stray cats in their neighborhood. As we saw yesterday in the Cleveland crash cover-up case, the assault was captured on surveillance video. Firefighter Ian Eulian and his mother, Lonieta Fontaine, 70, stand accused of accosting Rebecca Stafford, 47, in September, 2013. The prosecution rested yesterday.

Surveillance Video Fuels Criminal Charges Against Two Cleveland Firefighters

A surveillance video has been released showing the crash of a Cleveland ladder truck in a parking lot last June. Two firefighters, the driver and the officer, have been charged criminally with submitting false reports about how the accident occurred. Fire Captain Ron Vargo and Firefighter Richard Nickerson blamed the crash on a vehicle that cut them off...

Palm Beach Fire Rescue Prevails in Sick Leave Abuse ADA Claim

A Palm Beach firefighter terminated for abusing his sick leave and then lying about it has lost his bid in federal court to claim that the department failed to properly accommodate his diabetic condition. Paramedic Roger Dale Corbin, a 17 ...

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