segFault

Code:

---

void hire(FILE **infile, char lineOfText[], struct employee **firstEmployee)
{
  struct employee *newEmployee = NULL;
  struct employee *previousEmployee = NULL;
  struct employee *currentEmployee = NULL;
 
  read(*infile, lineOfText);
  while(lineOfText[ZEROI] != '*')
  {
        allocate(&newEmployee);
        sscanf(lineOfText, "%s%s%d%s",  newEmployee->lastName,
                                                                    newEmployee->firstName,
                                                                    &newEmployee->id,
                                                                    newEmployee->class);
        printf("%s\n", newEmployee->lastName);
       
        if(newEmployee != NULL)
        {
          previousEmployee = NULL;
          currentEmployee = *firstEmployee;
          while((currentEmployee != NULL) && (strcmp(newEmployee->lastName, currentEmployee->lastName) > ZEROI))
          {
            previousEmployee = currentEmployee;
                currentEmployee = currentEmployee->nextEmployee;
          }

---

I"m getting a seg fault at the while loop, I have determined that this is due to the currentEmployee. setting currentEmployee = to *firstEmployee though I would think would solve this but I'm not getting anywhere.

Are you reading line outside the loop?
You should check that the read opepration is succeded in the while condition

sscanf(lineOfText, "%s%s%d%s", newEmployee->lastName
if(newEmployee != NULL)
you should check that newEmployee is NULL pointer, before you are trying to fill it