Fire Law Blog

A deputy fire chief with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has filed suit alleging disability-based harassment, failure to investigate, and failure to prevent discrimination, all in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The suit was filed by BC Ty Bailey against the district and unnamed defendants.

The former fire chief of Cambria has reached a $200,000 settlement with the Cambria Community Services District stemming from his 2023 termination. The settlement was unanimously approved Monday by the district’s five-member board.

A firefighters’ local in Conroe, Texas, has filed suit against the city after officials rejected a petition seeking to place collective bargaining on the ballot. Conroe Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 2731, gathered 3,650 signatures in support of a ballot measure to allow a vote on granting firefighters collective bargaining rights.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 29, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a ruling upholding a Kentucky city’s residence rule; a discrimination suit files by a Kansas City MO fire captain; a wrongful death suit filed against a Florida fire department for performing CPR on an 87-year-old woman with a pace-maker; a …

The Kentucky Supreme Court has concluded that a residency requirement imposed by the city of Paducah on its firefighters does not violate a state law prohibiting "emergency medical service first response provider" from having a residency requirement on its firefighters. The decision affirmed summary judgment in favor of the City of Paducah and upheld the city’s firefighter residency ordinance.

A Kansas City, Missouri, fire captain has filed suit against the city alleging race discrimination, associational discrimination, and retaliation under the Missouri Human Rights Act. The suit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court and seeks damages and equitable relief.

The family of an elderly woman who died in Sunrise, Florida in 2024 has filed suit against the local fire department and medical providers, alleging wrongful death, race discrimination and various civil rights violations.

A female EMS lieutenant has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DCFEMS) and IAFF Local 36 adopted a promotional system that effectively excludes women and EMS personnel from advancement to the rank of Captain.

Fire Rescue Victoria, the statutory authority responsible for career firefighting in the state of Victoria, Australia, has filed suit against the United Firefighters Union alleging that more than $1.6 million in taxpayer-funded payments were made to the UFU in connection with an income protection scheme for firefighters and then spent on purposes other than providing income protection benefits.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 22, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss another lawsuit brought against the nation’s largest fire apparatus manufacturers, accusing them of engaging in a long-running conspiracy to suppress production and inflate the prices of fire trucks sold in the United States; a lawsuit against the San Antonio Fire …

The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan has joined a growing number of municipalities who have filed suit against the nation’s largest fire apparatus manufacturers, accusing them of engaging in a long-running conspiracy to suppress production and inflate the prices of fire trucks sold in the United States.

A San Antonio firefighter and paramedic has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), alleging disability discrimination, sex discrimination, and retaliation arising out of her medical condition and the department’s response to a workers’ compensation claim.

A longtime Oregon fire marshal has filed a wide-ranging employment lawsuit against the Tillamook Fire District, alleging age discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, retaliation for protected medical leave, unpaid wages, destruction of personnel records, and related statutory violations.

A Louisiana appellate court has affirmed a Civil Service Commission decision overturning a six-hour suspension imposed on a New Orleans firefighter after concluding the department failed to complete its investigation within the 60-day time limit required by the Firefighters’ Bill of Rights.

A California appellate court has reinstated a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit brought by a long-serving county fire captain after concluding that he was not required to exhaust internal civil service appeal procedures before filing suit.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 15, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a lawsuit by an Ohio fire chief alleging he’s being retaliated against by township trustees for truthfully disclosing their retaliation against an employee; an update about the status of OSHA’s new Emergency Response Standard; a lawsuit alleging the Lansing fire …

An Ohio fire chief has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully suspended and targeted for retaliation after disclosing that township trustees revoked a firefighter’s training opportunity because of prior workers’ compensation claims.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s effort to replace its 1980-era Fire Brigades standard remains in the rulemaking process, with no final regulation issued. OSHA formally proposed the new rule—titled the Emergency Response Standard—on February 5, 2024.

A female firefighter with the Lansing Fire Department has filed suit against the City of Lansing and Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant alleging she was subjected to humiliating and discriminatory treatment after supervisors questioned whether she was wearing a bra at work.

The District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department (DCFEMS) is facing a pro se lawsuit filed by a Fire Cadet Program applicant who claims the department improperly accessed and relied upon confidential juvenile records during the hiring process.