Supporting New Jersey Firefighters

The first city to adopt a building code was Baltimore in 1859, in response to dangerous conditions in buildings that led to rapid fires and death. Since then, countless lives have been saved as many agencies and groups have developed significant building code milestones.

When building code violations occur they often directly or indirectly result in firefighters sustaining serious injuries in the line of duty. Unfortunately, citations for code violations are not always issued to the buildings where fires erupt. Identifying the codes that were violated takes expertise and knowledge of the law — both of which you will find with the New Jersey injury lawyers at Sullivan Papain Block McGrath Coffinas & Cannavo P.C.

New Jersey Title 40A grants a number of protections to New Jersey firefighters, including tenure for exempt firemen. Under the law, no permanent member or office of the paid or part-time fire department shall be removed from office for political reasons or other causes that are not directly related to incapacity, misconduct, or disobedience of established rules and regulations. 

Suspensions, removals, fines, and rank reductions are also prohibited without cause. Written notice must be provided to the department or force where the incident happened no less than 10 nor more than 30 days from the date of service of the complaint.

According to the law, New Jersey firefighter protections even extend when the firefighter works in a municipality that is not their own. If you or a colleague feels they have been wrongly or unjustly terminated, it is important to reach out to an experienced firefighter attorney to discuss your case.

New Jersey prevents any employer from taking retaliatory action against an employee for disclosing, providing information, testifying, or objecting to participating in any activity, policy, or practice they deem is fraudulent, criminal, in violation of the law, or incompatible with a clear mandate of public policy.  It However, it is important to note that these protections under the state's Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) only extend to permanent firefighters. Volunteer firefighters are not protected.