Peekskill To Appoint 1st Full-Time Fire Chief

PEEKSKILL, NY — Pending approval of the Common Council, Peekskill appointed James E. Seymour IV as the city’s first paid fire chief.

After 17 years of service at the Village of Scarsdale Fire Department, Seymour will return to Peekskill where he began his fire service career.

“It is with tremendous pride and enthusiasm that I have accepted the position of fire chief of the City of Peekskill Fire Department,” Seymour said.

“There is no greater honor for me than to serve in this capacity and continue the proud history and traditions of the department where I began my career as a volunteer 25 years ago with Washington Engine Company,” he said.

The Common Council will vote on Seymour's appointment at its Dec. 27 meeting.

Seymour began his fire service career as a volunteer with the City of Peekskill Fire Department in 1995 at the age of 18. He was hired by Peekskill as a career firefighter in 2001, continuing to serve the department until he transferred to the Village of Scarsdale Fire Department in 2004.

Similar to Peekskill, Scarsdale has a “combination department” with 46 career firefighters and 50 volunteer firefighters. During his tenure with Scarsdale, Seymour served as firefighter, captain and municipal training officer. He eventually became chief, a position he has held since 2016.

Mayor Andre Rainey said he was thrilled to welcome Seymour back to Peekskill as its first full-time fire chief.

“As my term concludes, I’m very thankful our City Manager, staff, and council understand the needs of our community and have all agreed to invest in our fire department," he said. "This is the beginning of a very necessary, positive, and encouraging change.”

If the Common Council approves the appointment Seymour will be sworn in at 11 a.m. Jan. 1 at the Central Firehouse.

The Peekskill Fire Department has 24 paid staff and 54 volunteers, and has always been managed by elected volunteer chiefs since its early days as an all-volunteer operation. According to a spokesperson, in recent times, the bulk of daily fire incident responses has been provided by paid staff with dedicated volunteers providing essential support, especially on larger fires.

In the face of declining volunteerism in Peekskill and throughout the nation, combined with the city’s growth in population and new construction along with the need for full-time management, the city commissioned an independent study of the fire department by retired Chief Ed Rush, available on the city website since March 2021.

Pursuant to Rush’s recommendation of adding a paid full-time chief to the department, the city council held public meetings and hearings on amendments to the city code and charter to create a paid chief position. The amended city code and charter to make a full-time chief position was adopted Nov. 22 with the explicit intent of bolstering volunteer recruitment and retention and providing compliance with state regulations which have put training requirements out of reach of many volunteers.