View On Demand (Recorded January 16, 2020)

Fire department legal proceedings are expensive, time-consuming and emotionally draining, and they cause permanent reputational damage. Even more importantly, a legal proceeding almost always means someone-a firefighter, the department, a citizen-has been harmed. Even "winning" a lawsuit by successfully defending the department doesn't change that.

Considering these risks, you might expect fire service leaders to have an excellent grasp on why fire departments get sued. Yet fire department liability—especially differences in volunteer vs. career departments—is not well understood.

Join Curt Varone and Billy Goldfeder for analysis from a database of more than 7,500 legal proceedings filed against career and volunteer fire departments. This information will help fire service personnel of all ranks better understand the legal risks facing them—and focus on how to prevent such risks from taking root in their departments.

You’ll Learn:

  • Analysis from an exclusive database of fire department legal proceedings from the last 10 years
  • The top four reasons career and volunteer fire departments face legal proceedings
  • Key differences between career and volunteer fire department liability
  • Best practices that help protect departments and firefighters from becoming involved in legal proceedings

Presented by:

Curt Varone, JD, EFO
Deputy Chief
Exeter (R.I.) Volunteer
Fire Department
Attorney and Author, 
Fire Law Blog

Billy Goldfeder, EFO
Deputy Chief
Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department

 

Register now