Newburgh Lays Off 5 City Firefighters

NEWBURGH, NY — The City of Newburgh laid off five firefighters while it’s waiting for a decision from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about a third application to a grant that helped the city hire 15 firefighters in 2014 and keep 12 of the positions in 2016.

Initially, nine firefighters were targeted for layoffs, but one veteran of the department retired and three others were hired by the Arlington Fire District, recordonline.com said.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, said he has worked with FEMA and the Newburgh Fire Department to secure to federal SAFER grants in the last five years to protect these jobs.

“My office played its part and helped secure five years of federal support and two SAFER grants for the Newburgh Fire Department — because Newburgh’s Bravest deserve nothing but the best. The folks at City Hall have had more than enough time to come up with some solutions to prevent these layoffs,” he said. “And without these firefighters, response times will slow and our community will be left to pay the price. We can’t let that happen. Getting more firefighters on the job has been a priority of mine since day one and I will keep fighting until our heroes get the support they need — together we will get this done.”

Get Patch’s daily newsletters and news alerts right in your inbox.
Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.

Image via Shutterstock.