Fire Law Blog

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed suit against the City of Los Angeles, alleging she was removed from her position in retaliation for speaking publicly about budget cuts and their impact on public and firefighter safety.

A former administrative employee of the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District (NOFD) has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging she was terminated after raising concerns about financial practices and recordkeeping within the district.

A Baltimore City Fire Department paramedic has filed a federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination and failure to accommodate his religious observance, naming the Baltimore City Fire Department and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City as defendants.

A coalition of California and Oregon cities and counties has filed suit in federal court challenging new conditions imposed by federal agencies on a wide range of grant programs, including several that directly fund fire departments.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for February 26, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a lawsuit filed by the widow of a detective alleging that an EMT took and shared unauthorized photographs of her husband’s body after he was killed in a motorcycle crash; a sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a …

The widow of an Anderson County sheriff’s detective has filed suit alleging that an EMT with a private ambulance service took and shared unauthorized photographs of her husband’s body after he was killed in a motorcycle crash.

A veteran fire captain-paramedic has filed a federal lawsuit against Franklin County, Virginia, alleging sex discrimination, a hostile work environment, and retaliation in violation of Title VII. Captain Rena Clark Jennings filed suit against Franklin County Public Safety, where she worked for more than 21 years.

A part-time firefighter and volunteer fire chief in East Lyme, Connecticut has filed a multi-count civil lawsuit against the Town of East Lyme, its First Selectman, and a deputy fire marshal, alleging retaliation, free-speech violations, due-process violations, and emotional distress arising out of his suspension and alleged constructive termination.

A legal dispute between the City of Albuquerque’s administration and its City Council over EMS staffing in Albuquerque Fire Rescue has come to a negotiated conclusion, bringing an end to a lawsuit that has been unfolding for almost a year.

The owner of a multifamily residential property in Waterbury has filed a federal civil rights and negligence lawsuit against the City of Waterbury, multiple city inspectors, and supervisory officials, alleging unconstitutional inspections and an unjustified disconnection of electrical service that lasted more than two months.

A Hawaii man has filed suit against the Hawaii Fire Department and the County of Hawaii arising out of a motorcycle crash and the emergency response that followed. Cody Conaway filed suit accusing the department of negligence for compounding the injuries he sustained in the original accident.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for February 16, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a lawsuit filed by a Delaware BC alleging retaliation over the city’s failure to pay him severance benefits; a ruling allowing a sexual harassment lawsuit against the DCFEMS to proceed; anti-trust lawsuits brought by the State of California, LA City, …

A longtime Wilmington Fire Department battalion chief has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the City of Wilmington retaliated against him by delaying line-of-duty health benefits after he served as a witness in a discrimination case against the City.

A federal district court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that a female fire investigator’s hostile work environment claims against the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DCFEMS) may proceed, while dismissing her discrimination and retaliation claims.

On the heels of our coverage of an antitrust class action lawsuit filed by Kansas City, Kansas targeting fire apparatus manufacturers, the State of California, the County of Los Angeles and the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County have filed their own sweeping federal lawsuit alleging unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the fire truck industry.

The City of Norwich, Connecticut has suspended operations of the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department following a dispute over whether the department would agree to operate under a city-mandated unified command structure. The suspension removes the department from emergency response operations and freezes its city funding.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has become the latest municipality to file a federal class action lawsuit against several major fire apparatus manufacturers, alleging a nationwide conspiracy to suppress competition, restrict production, and drive up prices and delivery times for fire apparatus.

A recently retired battalion chief with the Salt Lake City Fire Department has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts related to child sexual abuse material, according to Utah news reports.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for February 9, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss the termination of an Austin fire captain for timekeeping fraud; criminal charges brought against a Baltimore County Fire Department paramedic for engaging in lewd behavior in the firehouse that resulted in other personnel ingesting his bodily fluids; a ruling allowing …

An Austin Fire Department captain has been indefinitely suspended following an internal investigation into allegations of timekeeping fraud and related policy violations. According to reports, Captain Chelsea Caloia, who was assigned to the department’s Prevention Division, was indefinitely suspended on January 30, 2026, after the Austin Fire Professional Standards Office investigated allegations that she falsified …