Fire Law Blog

A former cook for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has filed suit alleging he was subjected to sexual harassment and sexual-orientation harassment while assigned to Cal Fire’s training facility in Ione, and that supervisors failed to take corrective action after he complained.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 7, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss criminal theft charges being brought against a California fire district employee who has a pending sexual harassment suit against her accusers; the dismissal of claims brought by a Texas firefighter-paramedic who alleged he was subjected to age-based harassment, retaliation and …

A former California fire district employee who claims she was sexually harassed and terminated in retaliation for reporting misconduct has herself been arrested for allegedly stealing from the district, creating a tangled web of accusations in which virtually every important fact has a competing explanation.

A federal court has dismissed claims brought by a Texas firefighter-paramedic who alleged he was subjected to age-based harassment, retaliated against after complaining about the harassment, and denied rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

A California man has filed suit against the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals claiming fire department personnel refused to transport him to the hospital while he was suffering a stroke because they believed he was “too young to be having a stroke.”

A Florida property owner has filed suit against the Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District challenging a new assessment methodology that nearly tripled the fire district assessment on his residence. Vadim S. Carter filed the verified complaint yesterday in Pinellas County Circuit Court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the district.

A Utah man has filed a pro se federal civil rights lawsuit against Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake City Fire Department, and Gold Cross Ambulance Service, alleging he was forcibly restrained and transported to a hospital against his will during a medical and mental health emergency.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 31, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a guilty plea to a workplace health and safety charge by the Queensland (Australia) Fire Department arising out of a 2023 warehouse fire that killed a firefighter; a pro se lawsuit filed by a Florida firefighter alleging he was passed …

The Queensland Fire Department has announced it will plead guilty to a workplace health and safety charge arising out of a 2023 warehouse fire that killed Firefighter Izabella “Izzy” Nash and seriously injured Senior Firefighter Lia Drew.

A Florida firefighter has filed a pro se lawsuit against the Iona-McGregor Fire Protection and Rescue District alleging he was passed over for promotion to lieutenant because he is white. Zachary Keegan filed suit yesterday in US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

A federal judge has granted summary judgment to the City of Chicago and two senior Chicago Fire Department officials in a race and sex discrimination suit brought by a retired battalion chief who claimed she was repeatedly passed over for promotion.

Two EMS employees of Putnam County Emergency Medical Services in Georgia, filed suit against Putnam County and EMS Director Brad Murphey alleging sex and pregnancy discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation. Kaitlyn Elizabeth Todd and Taylor Kennedy filed suit last week in US District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

A paid North Carolina firefighter has filed suit against his fire department claiming that because the department is a private nonprofit corporation, it is not eligible to use the partial overtime exemption available to public-sector fire departments under Section 7(k) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 USC §207k).

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 24, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a guilty plea in the case of a Baltimore County Fire Department medic accused of contaminating food, equipment, and other items in a firehouse with his bodily fluids and filming the acts for distribution online to subscribers; a suit by …

A Baltimore County Fire Department paramedic accused of contaminating food, equipment, and other items in a firehouse with his bodily fluids and filming the acts for distribution online to subscribers has pled guilty to three criminal charges.

The widow of a retired FDNY lieutenant has filed suit challenging the New York City Fire Pension Fund’s refusal to treat her husband’s death as a World Trade Center line-of-duty death. Aline Ward filed an Article 78 petition in New York County Supreme Court naming the NYC Fire Pension Fund, its Board of Trustees, Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, and the city as respondents.

An assistant fire chief with the Hambden Volunteer Fire Department who also served the fire company’s treasurer as has been accused of embezzling more than $1.5 million from the department and using the money to cover gambling losses.

A Pennsylvania firefighter who claims she was the first woman hired by the New Castle Fire Department in its 150-year history has filed a new federal lawsuit against the city and several officials alleging sex and disability discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and failure to accommodate her Asperger’s Syndrome.

Former Fire Chief Joshua Williams has filed suit against the Aurora Fire District and Board President Bobby Meyer, alleging the district breached his employment contract and retaliated against him after he complained about board members interfering with fire district operations.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 17, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a ruling by the Sixth Circuit that Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long is not immune from liability for wrongfully terminating former Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington; an 11th Circuit decision reinstating an ADA failure-to-accommodate claim brought by a former Florida …