Fire Law Roundup for March 21, 2023

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for March 21, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss arson charges against a volunteer firefighter in Georgia for setting his own home on fire to collect on the insurance; a guilty plea by a Colorado Springs firefighter charged with careless driving resulting in death; a second wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of a Watertown firefighter who died while training at the New York State Academy of Fire Science, this time against five instructors; and a block-buster lawsuit filed by the International Association of Firefighters against the National Fire Protection Association claiming that portions of NFPA 1971 wrongfully impose requirements on structure fire turnout gear that, in essence, mandate the use of cancer-causing PFAS.

Also – during the discussion of the New York training death, we discussed a condition where someone becomes so physically depleted through working out/running/exercising that there is tissue damage that can interfere with their metabolism, leading to permanent injury and/or death. The name is rhabdomyolysis or rhabdo for short. There is no allegation in either of the lawsuits that this condition caused the death of Peyton Morse, but it a rarely discussed condition that all firefighters – particularly instructors – need to be alert to.

Georgia Firefighter Charged With Setting Own House On Fire To Collect Insurance