TampaBay.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Before becoming mayor, attorney Rick Kriseman represented a firefighter who claimed his city-issued helmet was defective and caused serious neck injuries.
Now, two years later, Kriseman is considering replacing the headgear for all St. Petersburg firefighters.
As he mulls next year’s $221 million budget, Kriseman is thinking about ditching the 1044 Cairns model helmets that are at the center of five pending lawsuits filed by a group of active and retired firefighters. Kriseman’s former boss, Jim Magazine, happens to be the attorney for the firefighters. If all 313 helmets are replaced, it would cost the city $60,000.
Full story: St. Petersburg mulls replacing helmets at the center of firefighters’ lawsuits