In this episode of Fire Law, Curt interviews Ginger Adams Otis, the author of Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York's Bravest. Ginger is a writer at the NY Daily News and previously worked at the NY Post. She started covering NY City Hall and the FDNY when she worked for The Chief-Leader. She's been a radio and print freelancer for WNYC, the Associated Press, BBC, National Public Radio, The Village Voice and national magazines such as Jane and Ms.

The interview covers her reasons for writing the book, her research and her conclusions about racial issues in the FDNY.

In this episode, firefighter attorney Bill Maccarone and Curt discuss a recent 9th Circuit ruling in an overtime case brought by 82 California firefighters who claimed their fire department miscalculated their overtime.

In this edition of Fire Law, Curt discusses the controversial settlement of an FDNY discrimination suit with Attorney Peter J. Gleason, himself a retired FDNY firefighter. Peter represented FDNY firefighter Kevin Simpkins who was awarded a disability pension earlier this year. The settlement made for sensational headlines. Consider the following from the NY Post on may 22, 2015:

He’s had a much better run in court than battling fires.

Twelve-year FDNY firefighter Kevin Simpkins — the public face for a racial-discrimination class action by minority firefighters the city settled for $98 million — has won another jackpot from the de Blasio administration.

Under a settlement finalized with the city and filed in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, the litigious firefighter will retire at a 75 percent disability pension.

 Let’s go beyond the headlines.

In this episode, Curt explores the connection between the law relating to duty to act and real life in a discussion with Fire Commissioner Dave Phillips, from the Washingtonville Fire District in New York. Commissioner Phillips suffered a heart attack and was brought back to life through the valiant efforts of his son, an FDNY firefighter, and a local EMS unit.

In this episode of Fire Law, attorney Jim Magazine discusses the five lawsuits he has filed over neck injuries to firefighters from the Cairns 1044 Helmet. The product liability suits were filed in Florida state court against MSA, the parent company for Cairns. The suits claim the helmets are defectively designed.

Rialto, California firefighter Nick DeLia brought a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action in US District Court against the City of Rialto, the City of Rialto Fire Department, and several city officials after he was ordered to go into his personal residence and bring two rolls of fiberglass insulation out, in violation of the 4th Amendment. The case went to the US Supreme Court, and in this podcast Nick explains what happened and how the case turned out.

In this podcast District of Columbia Battalion Chief Richard Sterne explains the circumstances surrounding his demotion by Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe for not finding two officers guilty of charges at a disciplinary hearing. Curt Varone and DC Attorney Jim Pressler review the facts, the law and the politics behind the scene in the Nation’s Capitol.