Unit III Case Study

Case Study 1: 50 points
Review Case Study 6-2: Firefighter Mandatory Retirement Age, found on page 75 in the textbook. Minch v. City of
Chicago, 363 F.3d 615 (7th Cir. April 9, 2004).
The full decision is available at http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1314030.html
Discuss whether you believe it is appropriate for physical examination/tests to be given more frequently as firefighters
increase in age to ensure they are physically capable of handling the duties and responsibilities of the job. As part of your
analysis of this issue, address whether you believe all firefighters, including those in administrative positions, should be
required to pass annual physical examinations/tests.
Your response should be at least 300 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material
for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must
have accompanying citations.
Case Study 2: 50 points
Review Case study 7-2: Employer “Mixed Motive” When Terminating Female-Circumstantial Evidence Admissible to
Prove Anti-Female Workplace/U.S. Supreme Court, found on page 85 in the textbook. Desert Palace, Inc. dba Caesers
Palace Hotel and Casino v. Costa, 539 U.S.90 (2003; U.S. Supreme Court, (June 9, 2003).
The full decision is available at http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-679.ZS.html
Then, consider this hypothetical situation. You are the fire chief. A female firefighter has complained to you about ongoing
harassment, and you have promptly investigated and verbally cautioned her male crew members to stop the harassment.
Describe what steps you should next take when you receive complaints from those same crew members about her lack of
cooperation and substandard performance.
Your response should be at least 300 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material
for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must
have accompanying citations.
Please submit your Case Study 1 and 2 responses as one Word document

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Fire Administration
Case Study 1
In my view, it is necessary for firefighters to be subjected to physical examinations more frequently as their advance in age to evaluate their suitability in the firefighting assignments. Certainly, firefighting is a serious profession that calls for a high degree of aggressiveness especially considering that its core objective is to save lives as well as prevent damage to properties. This suggests that any firefighter need to be physically fit and energetic to respond to a fire incident at any given time. In fact, I think this is the core reason why Chicago Fire Department reduced the retirement age of fire fighters to 63 from 70 (The United States Court of Appeal, 2007). Additionally, as time goes by, the nature and characteristics of fire incidences change due to the adjustments in the manner in which structures are constructed. This means that the approach and technology used by the older generation of firefighters may not meet the needs of the day. As such, the senior firefighters should retire and give the more informed generation an opportunity to deal with the current fire incidences….