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

Tag Archives: PFB

Court Upholds No-Beard Rule for Jacksonville Firefighters

A US District Court judge has granted judgment to the City of Jacksonville, dismissing a lawsuit filed by thirty African American firefighters who claimed that the city’s requirement that they be clean-shaven was discriminatory. The firefighters filed suit in 2020 alleging the city’s refusal to grant them a continuing accommodation to have closely cropped shadow beards constituted disability and race discrimination.

BREAKING NEWS: Second Circuit Upholds FDNY’s No Beard Policy

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court decision that concluded that FDNY has to allow firefighters with a skin condition an accommodation to have beards. In doing so the court concluded: “An accommodation is not reasonable within the meaning of the ADA if it is specifically prohibited by a binding safety regulation promulgated by a federal agency.”

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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