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Legal Issues

The legal issues topic contains news and information about legal issues affecting EMS personnel, agencies or departments. Find the latest news from personnel misconduct, to disciplinary and harassment cases, to malpractice lawsuits, as well as advice to prevent legal action with EMS training, documentation and management.

Firefighters and paramedics often take images on calls. How long should such images be retained, and why?
The first firefighter-influencer of the modern era shares how his early speaking nerves transformed into a love of making comedy videos
Leaders make decisions that affect individual employees and the organization as a whole. Who do you look to as a leader?
Certification standards, research and degree requirements are necessary to support a career pathway for paramedics
Authorities have not named a suspect at this time and officials said it is not clear how anyone gained access to the narcotics
Since 2010, the city and Tri-C have swapped an old ambulance, SCBA packs and old fire hose for tuition credits
First responders are investigating the explosion and report multiple injuries
“I took the ambulance, and I don’t remember why I did it,” a criminal complaint quotes Jaime Rivera-Juarez as telling cops when he was arrested
The suit claims an EMT did not lift a man properly and dropped him, causing a broken shoulder that never healed properly
Luis Alvarez assumed the spotlight to push Congress into action to aid first responders who developed life-threatening diseases from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks
According to Council President Mark Haney, Smith had been asking for a 60% increase in its contract — from $14 per person to $22 per person
The lawsuit alleges that since the fees are improperly imposed, residents will “continue the undue hardship and financial burden of defending their rights against” the law firm
The Senate wants more time to study the issue and other provisions passed by the House as part of the workers’ compensation budget
A.J. Isaacs was an EMS captain and had been with the fire department for 25 years before dying of an overdose
Bryan Matthew Cooney, 30, will be under 30 years of supervised release after his prison term
Fund advocates say Sen. Mitch McConnell committed to scheduling a vote in August to renew the fund before it expires
A department spokesperson said the paramedics, who were inside the hospital when the ambulance was taken, did not deviate from procedures
The DeKalb County commission voted to extend its contract with an ambulance provider that has faced criticism for years that it responds too slowly to emergency situations
Port Jervis Fire Department Firefighter Nicholas McKeon was sleeping in front of the bay doors and was killed after being struck by an ambulance responding to a call
Kris Kaull relates his most memorable call, and how practice, and a mindset to control what you can allows EMS providers to provide help and calm during the chaos
Port Jervis Fire Department Firefighter Nicholas McKeon was asleep in front of the bay door when the ambulance struck him on its way out
Many of the problems trace back to the lack of clear state rules for determining who is selected to provide emergency transport services and how they are vetted
The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by the employee and joined by the federal government and doesn’t require Hart to Heart to admit liability
The bill would have required air ambulance companies that operate subscription services to enter into reciprocity agreements
A hands-on patient assessment must be performed to declare a victim dead, even at a potential crime scene
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs across the country laid out a framework for negotiating a settlement, which could mean these communities getting billions of dollars to split
The paramedics immediately radioed for help from police but wrestled the gun away from the man on their own
The United New York Ambulance Network fears the bill will hurt the ambulance industry, while fire departments are looking to recoup the costs of medical calls
In addition to his jail sentence, Donald Horner forfeits his EMT certification and must reimburse the insurance companies
Medics had declared the infant dead and an active crime scene was established before the hoax was discovered
The ambulance later was found unoccupied on Cebra Avenue near Chester Place, according to a spokesman for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information
CPR
Act 7 requires PDE to provide a curriculum to schools to teach hands-only CPR, a no-breath, compression-only technique recommended by the American Heart Association for sudden cardiac arrests
Police bodycam footage shows gunfire exchange that led to the death of Wisconsin Firefigher Mitchell Lundgaard