Legal issues are a necessary function of the fire service as of any other business, therefore it is necessary to establish long-term strategies that ensure compliance with mandatory regulations and laws. The legal issues that the fire department may face can fill volumes of books, perhaps even a library, however a plan of action must be established to avoid legal repercussions for the fire department and/or its members. Common legal issues should be addressed within the fire department's guidelines or standard operating procedures, and emerging issues should be carefully examined before developing an action plan. Court decisions have been issued that negatively impact jurisdictions, firefighters and their members in ways ranging from fines to criminal prosecution. It is the fire department's responsibility to be a good steward of the community and taxpayer funds and, therefore, develop policies and procedures that responsibly protect the jurisdiction, the fire department, the community and its members from the legal consequences of violating laws and regulations Mutual aid agreements are one of the many legal problems that firefighters may encounter in the course of their activities. “For many years these agreements were informal, and were often not written” (Varone, 2012, p. 346). The written mutual aid agreement defines objectives such as who will be in charge, the level of care to be provided, who will cover damages or injuries, billing issues, how long help can be provided, who will provide food and shelter, as well as how overtime pay, who will replace, and responsibilities, as well as many other issues associated with providing and/or accepting mutual aid (Varone, 2012). Because of the legal coverage provided under a mutual aid agreement, m...... half of the document ...... with Disabilities Act (ADA). “The ADA does not specifically require employers to provide medical or disability-related leave” (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d., para. 9). ReferencesUS Department of Labor. (n.d.). Labor law: sick leave and disability leave. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/employ.htmUniversity of Tennessee Health Science Center. (2007). Confidentiality. Retrieved from http://www.uthsc.edu/Medicine/legaledu/UT/factsheets/Confidentiality.pdf University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. (2004, June 25). Mutual Aid and Disaster Assistance Agreement Act of 2004 [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/PUBLIC/web/ctas.nsf/0/39A89BC37A34C2F586256EBE006EC22AVarone, J.C. (2012). Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, New York: Delmar.