Fire Law Blog

An Ohio fire chief has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully suspended and targeted for retaliation after disclosing that township trustees revoked a firefighter’s training opportunity because of prior workers’ compensation claims.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s effort to replace its 1980-era Fire Brigades standard remains in the rulemaking process, with no final regulation issued. OSHA formally proposed the new rule—titled the Emergency Response Standard—on February 5, 2024.

A female firefighter with the Lansing Fire Department has filed suit against the City of Lansing and Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant alleging she was subjected to humiliating and discriminatory treatment after supervisors questioned whether she was wearing a bra at work.

The District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department (DCFEMS) is facing a pro se lawsuit filed by a Fire Cadet Program applicant who claims the department improperly accessed and relied upon confidential juvenile records during the hiring process.

A former volunteer fire chief and retired police officer from Toms River has been criminally charged in connection with the same conduct that led to a civil suit filed earlier this year by three male volunteer firefighters.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 8, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss an investigation into allegations that a  Baltimore County paramedic engaged in inappropriate conduct while on duty, including claims that explicit videos were recorded inside a county fire station that document the behavior; the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a …

Baltimore County officials have launched an internal investigation into allegations that a paramedic engaged in inappropriate conduct while on duty, including claims that explicit videos were recorded inside a county fire station that document the behavior. WBAL-TV reported that the department received a complaint stating that a Baltimore County Fire Department paramedic had posted sexually …

A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a veteran Chicago firefighter who claimed she was subjected to unnecessary and retaliatory medical and psychological evaluations. Lee Ann McKay, a firefighter for the Chicago Fire Department since 1999, has filed several prior employment-related suits against the City.

The North County Fire & Rescue Fire Protection District has filed suit against the City of Riverview claiming that the City has installed speed bumps, speed humps, and closed certain streets in a manner that violates fire code standards and interferes with emergency response operations.

A second wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Fire Department arising from the February 26, 2024 collision involving Tulsa Fire Department Engine 23. That crash killed five people including an unborn child.

An insurance company has filed a subrogation suit against the City of Evansville arising out of a December 2024 fire at Madeleine’s Fusion Restaurant in Evansville. The Illinois Casualty Company seeks to recover more than $1.2 million in property and business-income losses stemming from what the insurer alleges was a rekindle.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 1, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss the dismissal of a lawsuit against a Delaware fire company over a text-message related expulsion; the settlement of an FLSA-related lawsuit against an Indiana over overtime for EMS personnel; criminal charges brought against four firefighters in conjunction with a violent …

The New Castle County Superior Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a longtime volunteer with the Mill Creek Fire Department who challenged his suspension and expulsion. The dispute stemmed from a text exchange in which Steven Germain, told a female associate that he “had a mental thought of slapping her on the butt.”

The City of Connersville, Indiana, has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit brought earlier this year by a Fayette County EMT who alleged the city failed to pay required overtime to EMS personnel. The suit was filed by Josh Hensley, a paramedic employed by Fayette County EMS, as a class action.

A group of firefighters with Marion County Fire and Rescue have been arrested in connection with what authorities describe as a violent hazing incident. According to public reporting, the alleged misconduct triggered a criminal investigation that resulted in multiple arrests.

Earlier this year, we covered the criminal charges brought against two firefighters from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service who were accused of using fire-hoses to flood a baseball field at Montgomery Blair High School.

The Poland Volunteer Fire Company has filed suit seeking to overturn the Poland Joint Fire District’s decision to suspend the company from providing fire protection within the district. The Article 78 proceeding was filed in New York Supreme Court for Herkimer County on November 24, 2025.

The Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled that a state law granting public employees up to 40 days of paid military leave annually, grants firefighter-service members who work a 24-hour shift, 40 such shifts each year. The decision reverses a Superior Court decision that held that a Melrose firefighter was only entitled to twenty – 24 hour shifts of paid military leave.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for November 24, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss our interview of the attorney who won a $31.5 million verdict for the widow of an Illinois fire lieutenant who died in the line of duty; a move by Utah lawmakers to reverse a 2025 Utah Supreme Court decision that …

Utah lawmakers have advanced legislation that will restore broad immunity protection for fire and EMS personnel following an August 2025 Utah Supreme Court decision that limited immunity for routine 911 medical calls. Members of the Government Operations Interim Committee unanimously approved a bill that would reverse the Court’s interpretation and reinstate protections for first responders.