Penalties for a conviction of Driving Under the Influence include a suspension of your California Driver License.  Indeed, the Department of Motor Vehicles will try to suspend your license just because of the arrest!  For workers who do a lot of driving as part of the job, some employers may not want to pay the higher insurance premiums that go along with insuring drivers convicted of a DUI. However, some for some jobs, it may not be so clear whether a DUI will prevent people from gaining and/or keeping their employment. This can be especially problematic for those First Responders, such as Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and Paramedics – those whose responsibilities include driving a fire engine or ambulance for a living.

Those who hold a Firefighter endorsement (F) on their California Driver License, or a separate Ambulance Driver Certificate, know what losing their ability to drive can mean.  For many city and county fire departments, as well as those companies contracted by local governments to provide ambulance and/or EMT services, having a valid California Driver License is a condition of employment.  The endorsement or certificate itself may be suspended or revoked, even if no action is taken against the driver license itself (see, for example, Vehicle Code Section 13372), and that may be just as bad.  Furthermore, the Department of Motor Vehicles may contact the fire department or agency and report the DUI arrest (or conviction) on their own.

But all is not lost!

At the Gorelick Law Offices, attorney Lynn Gorelick has specialized in defending people in the East Bay charged with a DUI for over 30 years.  In that time, she has personally handed hundreds of cases involving firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and other First Responders – successfully defending them both in Court and in Administrative Per Se hearings with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

If you have been arrested for a DUI here in the East Bay, there is still time to keep the conviction off your record. You do not have to plead guilty just because you were arrested. Contact a local East Bay DUI defense attorney who understands local DUI law, and will make sure you get the justice you deserve.