Injuries at Work–Police and Firefighters

There are special rules that apply to injuries suffered by police, firefighters and first responders. It’s called the Fireman’s Rule.

The Fireman’s Rule stands for the general principle is that a firefighter who enters a home to fight a fire may not sue the individual who negligently created the emergency.

But the Fireman’s Rule does not bar all suits for on the job injuries suffered by police, firefighters and first responders. Case in point:

A Tukwila police officer on a motorcycle was involved in a crash with a truck. Police said the officer was riding northbound on Interurban Avenue South at Interstate 5 with his lights and siren on when a box truck turned in front of the officer, resulting in a crash.

In this case the officer will not be precluded from brining a third party claim (a vehicle providing significantly more benefits than his Labor and Industries claim) just because he was on duty. The driver of the cube van did not create the emergency to which the officer was responding.