Special Offer: Get 50% off your first 2 months when you do one of the following
Personalized offer codes will be given in each session

Top Five Actions or Inactions That Will Create Legal Challenges for You

About This Webinar

Every day, the Fire Chief and their staff face issues, some having a legal impact on their departments and others taking common sense to resolve. Legal issues require a solid understanding of the consequences of not paying attention to the department, especially personnel issues.

The fire service is in the risk prevention and mitigation business designed to prevent and resolve situations that harm the general public we are bound to protect. The many laws and guidelines, such as the NFPA standards, state and local laws and ordinances, and your training, response, and safety policies, are in place for your protection, the firefighters, and the community.

Laws are in place for many reasons. To act as guidelines, as a reminder that we need to play by the rules, to act as a deterrent for any current or future action, and to model behavior with staff and firefighters on how to act, respond, manage, and mitigate situations facing your department. It’s not rocket science - it's your education, experience, focus, and proactive action.

This class will outline several issues (out of hundreds) that could place your department in legal jeopardy. The class is designed to identify several of those issues and provide some solutions to assist you in preventing a legal conflagration that may affect your department.

Who can view: Everyone
Webinar Price: Free
Featured Presenters
Webinar hosting presenter
Deputy Fire Chief (Ret)
JOHN K. MURPHY JD, MS. PA-C, EFO, Deputy Fire Chief (Ret), has been a member of the career fire service since 1974, beginning his career as a firefighter and paramedic and retiring in 2007 as a deputy fire chief and chief training officer. He is a licensed attorney in Washington State since 2002 and consults with fire departments and other public and private entities on operational risk management, response litigation, employment policy and practices liability, personal management, labor contracts, internal investigations, and discipline and lectures on those topics.



During his fire service career, he was a Paramedic, Medical Services Officer, Chief of Training and Operations Chief. He was the Chief of the City of Sammamish (WA) prior to his retirement. He serves as an expert witness involving fire department litigation and has been involved in numerous cases across the country. He is an Instructional Professor at the University of Florida lecturing on EMS and Fire Service Legal Issues.



He is also a licensed physician’s assistant in the State of Washington for over 40 years working in urgent/emergency care and occupational health. He formerly served as an FMF Navy Corpsman with the United States Marine Corps.
Webinar hosting presenter
Fire Chief, German Township Fire Department (Ret.)
John M. Buckman III served as a German Township Fire Chief managing volunteers for 35 years. He is most proud of the title “pawpaw.” Leslie his wife has spent 29 years together. He currently serves as Education Coordinator for the International Association of Fire Chief Volunteer and Combination Officers Section. He is the Director of Government and Regional Outreach for IamResponding. He served as the Indiana Fire Academy Director for 15 years. He served as President of the International Association of Fire Chief in 2001-2002.

He has authored over 150 articles in various publications. In 1996 he was selected by Fire Chief Magazine as Fire Chief of the Year in 1996. He has published 4 books and 7 photography books. He received the Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Meritorious Service Award. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022 he received the Jimmy Seavey Health and Wellness award presented by the NVFC. and the Presidents Award from the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.

He was one of the founders of the Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) and the National Fire Academy Alumni Association. He has contributed to several “ribbon reports” published by the VCOS. He was asked to be one of the editors for the original Lavender Ribbon Report published by the VCOS and NVFC in 2019. In 2021 he along with Brian McQueen spearheaded the update for the Lavender Ribbon Report. He is a principal author of the Yellow Ribbon Report and the updated updated Training Volunteers white paper published by the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section.
Hosted By
International Association of Fire Chiefs webinar platform hosts Top Five Actions or Inactions That Will Create Legal Challenges for You
The International Association of Fire Chiefs represents the leadership of over 1.2 million firefighters and emergency responders. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.
Recommended