Legal Issues
Understanding liability issues regarding patient transport, confined-space assistance and emergency intersection entry
Philadelphia Fire Department’s second-highest-ranking official has been demoted amid probes, as the city faces scrutiny for withholding records
San Jose’s auditor is calling for stricter policies on drug storage, inventory checks and handoffs for controlled substances used on medical calls
A separation agreement shows Fort Worth will pay outgoing Chief Jim Davis nearly $100K as he drops potential claims, including age discrimination and whistleblower allegations
After Fort Worth Chief Jim Davis resigned, his lawyer argued the firefighters’ union impeded safety fixes by resisting a NIOSH review
Several major cities allege that the Trump administration imposed “unlawful and unrelated conditions” on more than $100M in public safety grants
Detailing how the first-arriving unit should take command, perform an initial size-up, and communicate with dispatch and other responding units
Five graduates say the department reclassified them as EMS trainees just before contracts expired, then issued termination letters
A Waterbury HR probe says recruits used phones, split screens and Google during an unsupervised final test
The Finance Committee advanced an $8M payout in the ambulance restraint death and $7.5M to the family of pastors killed during a police chase
The court reinstated a pension board’s rejection, ruling the traumatic events behind the PTSD were expected within firefighting duties and thus didn’t meet the fund’s “unexpected event” standard
The former Sheridan Park Fire Company treasurer admitted stealing nearly $450,000 to fuel a gambling habit
The firefighters’ union moved to dismiss with prejudice its PFAS-related lawsuit over NFPA’s firefighter gear standard
Carroll County officials say his operational suspension mirrors his Montgomery County status and reinstatement depends on the case outcome
Richmond Firefighter Jonathan Clarke alleges companies like 3M, Chemours and Honeywell knew turnout gear contained cancer-linked “forever chemicals” but hid the danger
Nine members from Engine 38/Ladder 51 and eight from Engine 43/Ladder 59 were reassigned as the department investigates
Two Montgomery County firefighters face malicious destruction and disorderly conduct charges after spraying engine water onto the field
An internal probe found the Waterbury recruits used phones and computers during the proctored test
Videos allegedly shot at Engine 38/Ladder 51 show rookies doing cake-face pushups and hugging naked men
Rigoberto Hernandez was freed from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma after federal lawyers moved to dismiss his removal case
Careful monitoring, witnessed documentation and a record of any actions will protect controlled substances in the ambulance from theft
Look for tampered packaging, excessive use and false documentation to identify a drug diversion in your department
Here are six strategies to prevent drug diversion, part of the profession’s important role in the fight against the opioid overdose epidemic
An Orlando Fire Department EMT was fired after a months-long investigation into a 34-second video clip where made a comment about women’s voting rights
Certified Vanderburgh County Fire Department medics can perform on-scene evidentiary blood draws, speeding investigations, reducing case delays and cutting unnecessary hospital trips
Whether public or private, your employer can take action. Understand when your words — on or off duty — cross legal and professional boundaries.
A Muslim civil rights group alleges the Baltimore Fire Department denied religious accommodation, selectively enforced its grooming policy and suspended him without offering a respirator fit test
KCFD faces a record $1.3M discrimination settlement, a bitter fight over firefighter Dominic Biscari’s fatal 2021 crash discipline, and scrutiny after two line-of-duty deaths
Follow a triaged response to what is posted and remember to discipline the behavior, not the content
CAL FIRE plans new training and protocol updates as lawsuits from the 2023 helicopter collision moves forward
Fire and police agencies in Nashville, New Orleans, Toledo and Prince George’s County launched investigations and placed employees on leave after online comments about Kirk’s death
The Enhancing First Response Act would recognize dispatchers’ lifesaving role and improve emergency communications infrastructure
Time-card discrepancies at Bear Gulch led a BLM ranger to call Border Patrol, detaining two contract firefighters and sparking controversy over immigration enforcement during wildfire operations
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- ‘No way of knowing who to trust': Hidden camera found inside women’s bunkroom in Calif. firehouse
- Ala. fire chief addresses ‘inappropriate’ EMS training scenario
- First responders face investigations over social posts about Charlie Kirk’s killing
- Tenn. Supreme Court reinstates denial of PTSD benefits for former firefighter
- Iowa family sues city, first responders, EMS and medical directors after drug error