Union president: Mount Vernon's fire department understaffed, unable to respond to all calls

Neighboring fire departments are accusing Mount Vernon of failing to staff enough firefighters to handle the area's workload.  Firefighters from different areas are supposed to help each other out

News 12 Staff

Jul 22, 2014, 1:28 AM

Updated 3,928 days ago

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Neighboring fire departments are accusing Mount Vernon of failing to staff enough firefighters to handle the area's workload. 
Firefighters from different areas are supposed to help each other out under extraordinary circumstances under a mutual aid policy.
Mount Vernon's union president admits his department could not respond to a June fire on Post Street in Yonkers because the department was down firefighters and the city would not pay overtime.
That leaves Mount Vernon with little wiggle room when it comes to manpower. Other municipalities claim they then have to pick up the slack.
News 12 asked Mount Vernon Fire Commissioner Noah Lighty if he wanted to comment on the story. He declined.