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

Tag Archives: private citizen

FDNY Coverup Suit Dismissed

A lawsuit accusing FDNY of covering up the cause of a fire that claimed the life of a firefighter in 2018, has been dismissed. Fire Marshal Scott P. Specht claimed his bosses ordered him to falsely attribute the cause of a fire on the set of a Bruce Willis movie to a boiler, and retaliated against him when he refused to go along.

Today’s Burning Question: Should The Loser Pay?

Today’s Burning Question: If someone files suit against a fire department and loses, shouldn’t they have to pay the city’s legal bills? Answer: That is not how our legal system works. Let’s use a recent case out of Sebring, Florida to better understand the issues.

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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