Fire Law Blog

A federal court in Texas has entered judgment in favor of the City of Yoakum in a First Amendment lawsuit brought by a woman whose dispute with a fire department paramedic began during an emergency childbirth call in 2017 and continued for more than eight years.

A federal court has dismissed the retaliation suit brought by an FDNY firefighter who claimed he was improperly detailed out of Rescue 1 after filing an EEO complaint. FF Daniel Hyland filed suit against the City of New York, FDNY, former Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, and former Fire Commissioner Mark Guerra, alleging retaliation.

A federal court in Indiana has granted summary judgment to prison officials accused of being deliberately indifferent to the risk of fire at the Indiana State Prison, relying in significant part on the prison’s operation of a trained and equipped inmate fire department and its broader fire prevention and response program.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 28, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a suit brought by a South Carolina firefighter alleging race discrimination and retaliation; a First Amendment suit brought by a Jacksonville firefighter who is also a local elected official; a Virgin Islands firefighter appealing the dismissal of his disability discrimination, …

A South Carolina firefighter has filed suit against the St. John’s Fire District and its Fire Chief, alleging race discrimination and retaliation arising out of the discovery of a noose tied around the neck of a dark-skinned CPR training mannequin in his fire station.

A Jacksonville firefighter who also serves as an elected member of the Clay County School Board has filed suit against the City of Jacksonville, claiming he was disciplined in violation of the First Amendment for comments he made while off duty on his personal Facebook account while acting as an elected official.

A veteran Virgin Islands firefighter has appealed a federal court ruling granting summary judgment to the Government of the Virgin Islands on his disability discrimination, sexual harassment, disparate treatment, and retaliation claims.

A Nebraska volunteer firefighter who was rejected for a career position because he was homeschooled, has lost his challenge before the Fremont Civil Service Commission. Andrew Coates, a volunteer firefighter with the Cedar Bluffs Fire Department, applied for a career firefighter position with the Fremont Fire Department.

Fourteen current and former firefighters with the Pace Fire Rescue District in Florida have filed suit alleging the district violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to include certification and educational incentive pay when calculating their overtime rate, and retaliated against them after they complained.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 21, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a jury verdict holding the City of Richmond, Indiana 40% liable for the harm to neighbors from a 2023 plastics warehouse fire that forced the evacuation of roughly 2,000 residents; an arbitration ruling ordering the reinstatement of a fire lieutenant …

A federal jury has found the City of Richmond, Indiana, along with a recycling company and its owner, liable for damages stemming from a massive 2023 plastics warehouse fire that forced the evacuation of roughly 2,000 residents.

An arbitrator has ordered the Rhode Island Airport Corporation to reinstate a fire lieutenant who was terminated in 2024 amid allegations that he discouraged prospective firefighters from accepting jobs at T.F. Green International Airport in order to generate overtime opportunities for himself.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a jury verdict in favor of the City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in a race and religious discrimination suit brought by two Springfield firefighters.

A dispute over control of a volunteer fire department in southeastern Oklahoma has erupted into a federal lawsuit accusing county and municipal officials of effectively taking over a privately owned fire station, fire apparatus, and other department assets.

A group of 28 municipalities, fire districts and volunteer fire departments have filed suit against 3M, DuPont-related companies, turnout gear manufacturers, and textile and component manufacturers, accusing them of concealing the presence and dangers of PFAS in firefighter turnout gear.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 14, 2026, Curt and Chip Comstock discuss a decision dismissing a discrimination suit against FDNY over EMS promotions; a suit filed against FDNY by an EMS captain over compensation for accrued leave upon retirement; a negligence lawsuit against the Nashville Fire Department over a gurney tipover; …

A federal judge has granted summary judgment to the City of New York in a long-running discrimination suit brought by two FDNY EMS officers and their union challenging the promotional process for EMS officers. The suit was originally filed in 2018 by AFSME Local 3621, EMS Lt. Renae Mascol, and EMS Lt. Luis Rodriguez.

A retired FDNY EMS captain who received a World Trade Center disability retirement has filed suit against the City of New York and the FDNY, claiming the department has refused to pay him nearly $96,000 for approximately 1,952 hours of accrued annual leave.

A Tennessee woman has filed suit against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, alleging Nashville Fire Department EMS personnel dropped her when a gurney tipped over while she was being transported following a medical emergency.

A volunteer firefighter with the Terryville Fire Department in New York has filed suit claiming she was terminated over a Facebook comment concerning ICE operations, in violation of her First Amendment rights. She also contends that Fire Chief Edward Simonetti and the Terryville Fire District violated her due process rights by suspending and terminating her without the procedures required by New York law.