Lawrence Bennett, Esq. is Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, and was Program Chair, Fire Science & Emergency Management from 2009 to 2024. He has had a career in public service and law, including as a police officer for U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department, and as Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C.; as a partner in the Cincinnati law firm, Katzman, Logan, Halper & Bennett; and as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Ohio. His textbook, Fire Service Law (Second Edition; 2017) is used in universities and colleges nationwide, and he updates the textbook each month with recent case decisions. In 2026, Professor Bennett teamed up with three other National Fire Academy / FESHE course professors to write two new texts: Political & Legal Applications for Emergency Services (https://doi.org/10.7945/av8d-c920), and EMS Political & Legal Applications for Emergency Medical Services (https://scholar.uc.edu/concern/documents/ht24wm15r?locale=en). Professor Bennett, as Program Chair, managed 16 Adjunct Professors, teaching online courses in the bachelor of science degree program. The courses closely followed the National Fire Academy’s Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) model curriculum. He taught the course, Political and Legal Foundations of Fire Protection, and created a new course in Homeland Security with videotaped interviews featuring guest speakers from throughout United States, including fire chiefs who were active members of the Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He has also taught firefighters at Cincinnati State (from 2000 to 2024), teaching the FESHE model associate degree course, Legal Aspects of Emergency Services. Professor Bennett is very active in Pet Therapy with his labrador retriever, FRYE, as they regularly visit three 911 Dispatch Centers (City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and Warren County), Ronald McDonald House and four hospitals (Christ Hospital; Mercy-Anderson Hospital; Mercy-West Hospital; and Jewish-Kenwood Hospital). He also launched a program where pet therapy dogs visit fire stations, which was featured in the August 2023 International Association of Fire Chiefs Amber Report “Best Practices For Fire Service Canines.” He earned his BA in government and political science from American University, and his JD from Washington College of Law in 1970.
