Tag Archives: fire department

The City of New York has reached a $7.3 million settlement with a class of more than 3,000 current and former EMTs and paramedics following a 2023 FLSA lawsuit. The main allegations advanced by the EMTs and medics revolved around unpaid pre-and-post shift work activities, an automatic deduction of a 30-minute meal period even for work shifts in which work ...

An Illinois paramedic has filed a lawsuit in federal court against his former employer, the City of O’Fallon, claiming the city’s pay practices violate both federal and state wage and hour laws. The crux the lone paramedic’s complaint alleges that the city misclassified him as overtime exempt in violation of the FLSA and the Illinois Minimum Wage law.  Additionally, the ...

On December 31, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling that found a group of current and former Alexandria battalion chiefs were ineligible for FLSA overtime. The chiefs had challenged the City of Alexandria’s pay practices as unlawful under both federal and state wage and hour laws. In 2023, a federal district ...

After months of tough and at times contentious labor negotiations, the Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) and the City of Austin have finalized a new four-year labor contract that not only strengthens wages and staffing but also modifies firefighter work schedules with an eye towards improving firefighter wellness and recruitment. The agreement, unanimously approved by City Council and overwhelmingly ratified by ...

West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood, Colorado is changing its daily work schedule to allow firefighters more opportunity for rest between calls. This change follows a sleep study conducted by the department which found that early morning start times were limiting the amount of sleep crews were getting while both on and off duty. West Metro Fire Rescue operates on ...

A group of over 30 firefighters at Madison Fire & Rescue have filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging serious errors in the implementation of the department’s pay scale — errors that they say have resulted in “major financial losses” for firefighters. According to the lawsuit, the ordinance that established the new pay scale created a structure under which many ...

A federal lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina alleging violations of federal and state wage laws related to unpaid off-duty work performed by K-9 deputies. The complaint was filed on December 3, 2025, by John Robert Coker, a former McCormick County Sheriff’s Deputy, against McCormick County and McCormick County Sheriff ...

Starting in January, the Bloomington Fire Department is moving from the traditional 24 hours on / 48 hours off schedule to a 24 hours on / 72 hours off model. According to Fire Chief Cory Matheny, his team was initially skeptical the city could afford the move, however after some scheduling tweaks and a staffing analysis, the department concluded it can work and ...

In many fire departments across the country, the mantra is simple: more resources = better service. But what happens when adding a resource creates strain instead of relief? That question is playing out in real time in Troy, Ohio, where the Troy Fire Department recently added a new single-role ambulance — only to have the local firefighters’ union call for ...

A group of seven Santa Fe, New Mexico battalion chiefs have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that their employer, the City of Santa Fe, denied them overtime in violation of the FLSA. More specifically, the battalion chiefs claim that the city misclassifies them as overtime exempt “white-collar” employees. Additionally, the chiefs claim that this misclassification results in a violation of ...