Fire Law Blog

A federal judge in Illinois has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by an Evanston Fire Department captain who alleges he was suspended because of his political support for Donald Trump. Curt Koopman, a Captain with the Evanston Fire Department, filed suit claiming violation of the First Amendment Rights and the Illinois Local Governmental Employees Political Rights Act.

A lieutenant with Toledo Fire and Rescue has filed a federal civil rights suit alleging he was unlawfully terminated for an off-duty Facebook comment made from his personal account. Lt. Jeffery Schroeder filed suit naming the City, the fire chief, the city’s safety director, and several command officers as defendants.

Two fire law cases—one decided by a New York appellate court and another newly filed in Utah—both involve injuries allegedly caused by fire hoses in public roadways. Although the factual circumstances differ, each case raises questions about municipal liability and the legal consequences of hose placement and transport during fire department operations.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for January 26, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a decision criminal charges brought against a North Carolina battalion chief for setting a fire in a vacant restaurant; a ruling that allowed a suit against FDNY for the involuntary transport of a patient for a psychiatric evaluation to proceed; …

A battalion chief with the Matthews Fire & EMS has been charged with setting fire to a vacant commercial building earlier this month. The building involved in the incident was a vacant former Boston Market restaurant on East Independence Boulevard in Matthews.

A federal magistrate in New York has issued a new ruling in MacNeal v. New York, a case involving an alleged involuntary mental-health transport by NYPD officers and FDNY EMS personnel. The decision follows an earlier dismissal of claims against the City and FDNY that we covered last year.

A Colorado water provider has filed suit against the City and County of Denver, alleging that decades of firefighting training activities at a Denver Fire Department training facility contaminated groundwater supplies with PFAS chemicals used in firefighting foam.

The fallout from the Marion County Fire and Rescue hazing incident continues with headlines indicating that the victim of the hazing plans to sue, and two of the ten fired firefighters have filed grievances challenging their dismissal.

A Kern County Superior Court judge has overturned a jury verdict entered last November in a long-running employment discrimination case brought by a Bakersfield Fire Department captain. The court granted the City’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), setting aside a jury award of more than $700,000.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for January 19, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a decision by a federal district court in Ohio dismissing federal constitutional claims arising out of a lawsuit involving the emergency medical response to a self-inflicted gunshot wound; a lawsuit filed by the former Human Resources Director for the Seattle …

A federal district court has dismissed the federal constitutional claims arising out of a lawsuit involving the emergency medical response to a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Marion, Ohio, while remanding the remaining state-law claims back to state court.

The former Seattle Fire Department Human Resources Director has filed suit against the city, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, and Public Safety Civil Service Commission Director Andrea Scheele, alleging whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and public records violations.

An Ohio developer has filed suit against the City of Youngstown, alleging that the city violated its constitutional rights when the fire chief ordered the demolition of a commercial building without prior notice or an opportunity to be heard.

The City of Atlantic City has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a long-running lawsuit brought by firefighter Alexander Smith, resolving claims that the Atlantic City Fire Department violated federal law by refusing to allow him to wear a beard as an expression of his Christian faith.

A female firefighter with the Big Bear Fire Authority has filed a civil suit alleging sex-based discrimination and failure to prevent discrimination under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. Brittania Huether filed suit against the Big Bear Fire Department and the Big Bear Fire Authority.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for January 12, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a state court lawsuit filed by a Lynchburg, VA firefighter after her federal lawsuit was dismissed; the settlement of an FLSA overtime lawsuit filed by single-role EMS personnel with the Fredericksburg Fire Department; a $3.25 million settlement with the family …

A long-running dispute involving a Lynchburg firefighter has returned—this time in state court—following a Fourth Circuit decision last year that reopened the door for certain claims to proceed outside federal court.

A federal wage-and-hour lawsuit filed by single-role EMS personnel with the Fredericksburg Fire Department has been resolved through a negotiated settlement. The case was brought by EMS employees who alleged the City violated the FLSA by failing to pay overtime compensation for hours worked in excess of 40 per week.

The city of Southfield, Michigan, has agreed to a $3.25 million settlement with the family of Timesha Beauchamp, resolving litigation arising from an August 23, 2020, emergency response in which she was mistakenly pronounced dead by fire and EMS personnel, yet later found alive at a funeral home.