Premature. That is how a state Supreme Court judge described a lawsuit filed by Utica fire Chief Russell Brooks against the City of Utica when he ruled to dismiss it without prejudice. Brooks filed his lawsuit against the city and Mayor Robert Palmieri. In it, Brooks claimed the city rejected an application for sick leave benefits connected with his chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a condition he said was contracted as a result of his response to ground zero for 9/11 recovery operations.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Utica Observer-Dispatch

The House of Representatives Monday night passed the United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4661) under suspension of the rules of the House, which usually is reserved for non-controversial legislation. The bill would: Authorize $76.49 million in funding for the U.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

The municipality of Anchorage has paid one of its firefighters more than three-quarters of a million dollars after his successful lawsuit against the fire department. It’s the second large civil award this year the municipality has paid to a public safety employee, after two police officers won $2.7 million last summer in a lawsuit over racial discrimination.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alaska Public Radio

Poor communication by Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers with Gatlinburg authorities undermined the initial response to last year's deadly wildfire and cost lives, a report released Tuesday found. "Insufficient warning by (the park) contributed to a dramatically reduced time frame to conduct needed evacuations," the outside review concluded.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Knoxville News Sentinel

As Hermosa Beach moves toward contracting with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for firefighting services, 13 firefighters have sued the city over how their regular and overtime compensation has been calculated, it was announced today. The suit filed in federal district court alleges the city has violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and seeks not only the compensation the firefighters say they deserve but double damages spanning three years as a penalty, plus interest and attorneys fees, according to Katie Casey, Hermosa Beach's public information officer.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles