Fire Law Blog

A federal judge has ruled that a Connecticut police lieutenant who arrested a volunteer firefighter serving as his department’s Public Information Officer is entitled to qualified immunity in a lawsuit arising from the firefighter’s 2021 arrest for posting photographs from a motor vehicle accident scene on Facebook.

A Tennessee man has filed an emergency petition asking a Tennessee court to order the Nashville Fire Department, Nashville Police Department, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a Nashville restaurant to preserve evidence from an incident in which he alleges emergency personnel ignored his repeated refusals of ambulance transport and subsequent medical treatment.

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a defamation lawsuit against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, alleging that the Mayor repeatedly made false statements blaming Chief Crowley for decisions surrounding the January 2025 Palisades Fire in an effort to deflect criticism of her own leadership and budget decisions.

A paramedic formerly employed by the Gary Fire Department has filed suit in federal court alleging that the department failed to stop months of sexual harassment, retaliated against her after she complained, and ultimately terminated her employment.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for June 29, 2026, Curt discusses the sentence handed down to a former Illinois emergency medical technician in connection with the 2022 positional asphyxia death of a patient; an FLSA suit brought by firefighters in Gilbert AZ who were assigned to ambulances disputing that the §207(k) partial exemption …

A former Illinois emergency medical technician who pled guilty in connection with the 2022 death of a patient has been sentenced to time served plus two years of probation. The patient, 35-year-old Earl Moore Jr., was restrained and transported face-down. He died of positional asphyxia.

A federal district court in Arizona has dismissed an overtime lawsuit brought by ten current and former members of the Gilbert Fire Department, concluding that the firefighters failed to adequately plead an overtime claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In doing so, the court stopped short of ruling on whether the firefighters qualify for the §207(k).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has affirmed summary judgment in favor of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore in a lawsuit filed by Baltimore City Fire Department Lieutenant Mitchell Waters alleging race discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation.

Columbia-Richland Fire Department Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins has filed suit against the Professional Fire Fighters Association of South Carolina and PFFSC President Roger Odachowski, alleging that statements published by the organization following a firefighter line-of-duty death defamed him and caused significant emotional distress.

Two battalion chiefs assigned to the fire department at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California have lost a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against NASA after a federal court concluded that NASA was neither their employer nor their joint-employer.

A Louisiana appellate court has reinstated the termination of a Baton Rouge fire captain who tested positive for marijuana during a random drug test, reversing a district court decision that had ordered his reinstatement.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for June 22, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a life sentence handed down to a former Texas deputy fire chief for orchestrating a violent sexual assault against a woman he knew; a lawsuit filed against an Idaho fire department  alleging an unlawful entry into their home following a …

A former Texas deputy fire chief has been sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating a violent sexual assault against a woman he knew. Joel Jones, 54, formerly a Deputy Chief with the Everman Fire Department near Fort Worth, pled guilty to aggravated sexual assault.

An Idaho couple has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that members of the American Falls Fire Department unlawfully entered their home after police had already cleared the property following a false alarm, leading to injuries to two of their dogs.

A federal court in Washington state has ruled that an Ocean Shores firefighter and Army reservist is entitled to paid military leave for the 2020-2021 military fiscal year under Washington law, following a Washington Supreme Court decision that resolved a disputed question concerning paid military leave for public employees on extended active duty.

A Cincinnati firefighter who alleged that a software problem during a promotional examination cost him an opportunity to become a district chief has lost his race discrimination lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The death of a young firefighter assigned to the Gwangju Metropolitan City Fire Safety Headquarters in South Korea has prompted a government investigation into allegations of workplace harassment, coercive drinking, and abuse of authority within the organization.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for June 15, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss troubling allegations against a former deputy chief in Indiana; some proposed changes to the overtime requirements for certain EMS providers; a case where the estate of a woman struck by a vehicle operated by a firefighter in New York is …

A former Indiana deputy fire chief has been charged with 55 felony offenses following a months-long investigation into allegations that he secretly recorded women and children, possessed child sexual abuse material, and used hidden cameras in private areas, including locations associated with a fire station.

In this edition of Fire Law Vlog, Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss proposed legislation before Congress to extend the 7k partial overtime exemption to certain EMS providers in rural areas of the country. However, the current language creates more questions than answers.