JOHN K. MURPHY JD, PA-C, MS, EFO, deputy fire chief (ret) from Eastside Fire & Rescue in Washington State. He has been a member of the career fire service since 1974, beginning his career as a firefighter and paramedic. He retired in 2007 as a deputy fire chief and chief training officer, among other responsibilities and assignments. Murphy is a licensed attorney in Washington State, an elected fire commissioner, a practicing physician assistant in an occupational health setting and a frequent legal contributor to Fire Engineering, a Fire Service Court Radio blog participant, a National Fire Academy instructor, and a national speaker on fire and EMS legal issues. He is a distance learning instructor at the University of Florida Fire and EMS (FES) undergraduate program.