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.
Keeping the strain on EMS providers front of mind
If your organizational culture creates risks for your agency, here are some change strategies
Tips from Boston EMS for starting a health and wellness program to support member resiliency
A new jury will decide if Patricia Del Vecchio was the victim of disability discrimination and retaliation when she was fired in 2009
Sam Conkel, 24, was arraigned on sexual battery and gross sexual imposition charges
The ambulance was going almost 90 miles per hour, well over the posted speed limit
Hire EMS providers with the experience, positive attitude and maturity to help your volunteer service be excellent in its commitment to the community
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act mandates pharmaceutical tracking, tracing and documentation for EMS agencies
The Public Safety Officer’s Benefit Program has left some first responders or their families waiting for years to get payments
Robert Gotay told police he had a severe gambling problem and admitted writing checks to himself from the ambulance organization’s account
Steven Farnsworth was charged with official misconduct and unauthorized use of a computer; he’s also facing domestic violence charges
Leadership of the organization should make the decision that grant funding is a revenue development strategy that makes sense for the organization as a whole
A grand jury handed down indictments against Dustin Hazlewood for illegally obtaining fentanyl and morphine
Take responsibility for building and improving a department culture through good words and deeds, not disparaging ones
The significant funding, workforce and leadership challenges facing rural EMS agencies were discussed at National Rural EMS Conference
John “Darrell” Hamilton, 58, died almost two years ago after collapsing down stairs with chest pains; his family claims that crews “left him for dead”
The family of a man who died from congestive heart failure said he may have lived had two employees not stopped efforts to resuscitate him
Chief Richard Bowers said his focus at the moment is on Nicole Mittendorff’s grieving family and colleagues, but that he has zero-tolerance for bullying
The suicide of Nicole Mittendorff causes us to ask the question: What is the impact of bullying on emergency responder mental health and suicide?
Firefighter Benjamin Vernon was stabbed twice and suffered a punctured lung and firefighter Alex Wallbrett was stabbed multiple times
Colin Skeele, 29, was arrested after being accused of engaging in sexual intercourse and showing child pornography to a 17-year-old cadet
Four hours before the chase began, Dasha West was released from jail for assaulting paramedics
National Rural EMS Conference attendees asked to identify unique attributes and barriers to success
Deputies were on scene and saw the woman move and called for the ambulance to come back
Without acknowledging fault, Good Samaritan Hospital settled for $450,000 and agreed to follow protocols to properly release homeless patients
Our readers’ responses ranged from specific charges to pleas for others to wait for a trial instead of placing blame; where do you stand?
Malachi Love-Robinson, 18, was arrested in February after deputies said he was practicing medicine without a license
Firefighter-paramedic Tonya Johnson walked onto oncoming traffic on a state highway after a heated argument with her husband
Barry Barkinsky is accused of forcibly administering enemas to at least four men and secretly photographing dozens more
Caroline Dorton, who has been with the Orange City Fire Department since 2009, is in the hospital in serious but stable condition
The charge against Jeffrey Lynn Brennaman is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine
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