JOHN K. MURPHY, JD, MS. PA-C, EFO, deputy 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 chief and chief training officer. He is a licensed attorney in Washington State since 2002 and a licensed physician’s assistant since 1977. Murphy consults with fire departments and public and private entities on operational risk management, response litigation, employment policy and practices liability, personal management, labor contracts, internal investigations and discipline, and personal injury litigation. He serves as an expert witness involving fire department litigation and has been involved in numerous cases across the country. He is a legal and management educator, frequent legal contributor to Fire Engineering, participant in Fire Service Court Radio, a blogger and a national speaker on fire service legal issues. He is a distance learning instructor with the University of Florida Fire and Emergency Services undergraduate program.
