JEFFREY MATURA WINS APPEAL AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC SECURITY TO SAVE THE ARIZONA FIRE SCHOOL

The Arizona State Fire Training Committee is a non-profit organization that organizes and runs the yearly Fire School for firefighters located across Arizona.  In 2015, the Department of Economic Security concluded that the instructors who teach at the Fire School are employees of the Committee, rather than independent contractors, and assessed monetary penalties against the Committee.  The Department of Economic Security’s decision put the Committee’s ability to run the Fire School at risk, which would have eliminated the primary source of education and training for firefighters.  The Committee therefore contacted Jeffrey Matura to appeal the decision.  Mr. Matura submitted a written brief and presented evidence and witnesses during a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.  After several months of deliberation, the Administrative Law Judge issued a final decision reversing the Department of Economic Security’s decision in its entirety and adopting every argument that Mr. Matura presented on behalf of the Committee.  This decision will enable the Committee to continue the Fire School each year, and is therefore an important ruling for the fire service industry throughout Arizona.

---