Fire Law Blog

A South Florida firefighter is accused of stealing an American flag from a Key Largo home after a dispute over loud music. Surveillance footage clearly shows the firefighter climbing onto the property, removing the flag, and swimming away with it—a scene witnessed by the homeowners only after reviewing their security camera footage.

A building owner in Holyoke, Massachusetts has filed suit against the city’s Fire Prevention Captain and the Holyoke Fire Department, seeking to overturn a Notice of Violation issued in connection with the building’s sprinkler and alarm systems.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 18, 2025, Curt and Paul Doughty discuss the arrest of an FDNY firefighter accused of assaulting a colleague in the firehouse; the settlement of an FLSA suit in North Carolina against a volunteer fire company; a decision by the Eighth Circuit to reinstate a suit brought …

An FDNY firefighter has been arrested following an alleged assault on a fellow firefighter at a Staten Island firehouse earlier this month. According to multiple news sources, on the evening of August 8, 2025, an altercation occurred inside Rescue Company 5’s quarters on Staten Island.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina has approved a settlement in a FLSA lawsuit brought by two former members of the Robinson Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue, Inc. The suit alleged that RVFD failed to pay overtime as required under the FLSA, and retaliated against firefighters for raising the issue.

The US 8th Circuit has reinstated a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a former Arkansas firefighter who was fired in 2020 over an image he reposted on Facebook. Steven Melton was terminated by Forrest City Mayor Cedric Williams, who found the image undermined the city’s ability to deliver public safety services to the public.

A federal magistrate judge in the Northern District of Georgia has recommended granting in part and denying in part Douglas County’s motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit brought by former Deputy Fire Chief Eric Phillips. Chief Phillips was fired in 2023 after he failed to obtain Georgia state certification as required by state law.

A Florida man injured in a July 5, 2025 motor vehicle accident has filed suit against Orange County Fire Rescue seeking to compel the release of information that may identify the other driver involved. The lawsuit, filed today in Orange County Court, is styled as a “Pure Bill of Discovery.”

n this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 11, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss an LA County Fire captain facing insurance fraud charges; the $1.1 million settlement with the widow of a Kansas City, Missouri firefighter who died during a water-related training exercise; the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit brought against several fire departments; an unfortunate incident in NY where a fire chief was recorded shouting obscenities at a

A Los Angeles County Fire Department captain has been charged with insurance fraud after prosecutors alleged he faked a work-related injury and submitted forged paperwork to obtain more than $25,000 in long-term disability payments. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges on August 8, 2025.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri has agreed to pay the widow of a firefighter-paramedic who died during an training exercise nearly $1.1 million to resolve a workers’ compensation claim. Firefighter-Paramedic Kyle Brinker, 33, died on September 17, 2024, after suffering a medical emergency during an unauthorized water-rescue training session at the Gladstone Community Center indoor swimming pool.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit brought against Cabarrus County emergency responders stemming from a 2020 flood incident that resulted in the death of a motorist. The case arose after Roger Armistead attempted to drive across a flooded bridge on Miami Church Road during a period of heavy rain.

A Long Island fire chief was removed from duty on August 5, 2025, after a TikTok video surfaced showing him shouting obscenities at a child during an emergency response. The viral video reportedly captures Chief Peter Alt of the North Babylon Fire Company yelling phrases like “shut the f*** up” and “shut your mouth” at a young girl being placed into an ambulance.

A wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against the City of Orlando Fire Department following the December 2023 death of a 16-year-old boy with autism, Down syndrome, and end-stage renal disease. The lawsuit alleges that paramedics dispatched to the scene failed to assess, treat, or transport the teen despite being informed of his life-threatening condition.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 4, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss the dismissal of the due process claim brought by a disabled former FDNY firefighter who alleged that New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment; a false arrest and malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a …

A federal judge has dismissed the primary constitutional claim brought by a disabled former FDNY firefighter who alleged that New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The case was brought by former firefighter Obrian Pastrana, who contended that the City’s refusal to grant him a medical exemption after a severe reaction to the first vaccine dose violated his substantive due process rights.

A complex false arrest and malicious prosecution lawsuit involving the Borough of Belmar, NJ, and its emergency services took a key step forward this week. In Hines v. Borough of Belmar, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a 71-page opinion granting in part and denying in part the Borough’s motion for summary judgment.

A former Washington fire chief whose department was consolidated into Eastside Fire and Rescue has filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court alleging sex and sexual orientation discrimination, along with retaliation and wrongful termination.

A long-running employment discrimination case involving the Charlotte Fire Department is heading back to trial after a federal judge ruled that an enforceable settlement was never reached between the City of Charlotte and Captain Lance Patterson, a 20-year veteran of the department.

Two cases from two fire departments on the issue of whether disabled firefighters qualify for accidental (line-of-duty) pensions, give us the opportunity to explore the factors that pension boards must consider when awarding or denying such pensions. Both firefighters sustained back injuries. Both sought accidental disability pension benefits. Both were awarded ordinary disability pensions. Both appealed.