Court orders Port Chester to restore firefighter to Rye Brook

The battle for firefighters' jobs in Port Chester and Rye Brook has taken a legal twist. The New York State Supreme Court has ordered Port Chester to temporarily restore staffing to the Rye Brook firehouse

News 12 Staff

May 14, 2016, 12:57 AM

Updated 3,133 days ago

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The battle for firefighters' jobs in Port Chester and Rye Brook has taken a legal twist.
The New York State Supreme Court has ordered Port Chester to temporarily restore staffing to the Rye Brook firehouse with a paid firefighter starting Friday night.
At issue is a village contract from 2013 requiring Port Chester to supply Rye Brook's firehouse with one paid overnight crew member, whose position was among those cut. The Supreme Court decided to temporarily uphold that position on Thursday.
Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla says he still hopes the issue can be handled outside of court. And it appears that Rye Brook Mayor Paul Rosenberg is also coming around.
"We thank the Rye Brook firefighters and the Port Chester volunteers for their hard work during this difficult situation and we look forward to sitting down with Port Chester to work collaboratively on this issue," Rosenberg said in a statement.
Port Chester has said the layoffs would save the village $800,000 a year.
Officials from both villages are scheduled to meet Monday to try to discuss the staffing changes. If no resolution is reached, they will be back in court next Friday.