NY Village Sues Neighboring Village Over Fire Protection

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Posted by: Curt Varone 23 hours ago 3 Comments

Last week’s decision by the Village of Port Chester, New York to eliminate its paid fire department has run into a new obstacle: the Village of Rye Brook filed suit yesterday claiming that Port Chester is under a legally binding contract to staff its fire station through 2018.

Rye Brook’s suit was filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court alleging a valid fire services contract has existed between the two villages dating back to 2013, and will remain in effect until 2018. Under the agreement Rye Brook pays Port Chester $1 million per year in exchange for Port Chester firefighters to staff its station for a 12 hour overnight shift. Rye Brook is asking the court to order Port Chester to honor its commitment under the agreement.

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ABOUT CURT VARONE

Curt Varone has over 40 years of fire service experience and 30 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.