New Rochelle Council To Vote On Firefighter Grant

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The New Rochelle City Council will decide at its Sept. 12 meeting whether to accept funding to add six more firefighters.

The council said the department could apply for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response federal grant program during a special meeting Aug. 7.

“This way we can increase our force because we’re losing people due to retirement,” Henry Senno, New Rochelle Fire Department deputy fire chief for support services, said after the meeting.

Departments are selected for grants based on staffing needs.

If the city OKs the grant, the money would pay salaries and benefits for six new firefighters for two years. 

The council will also decide when the two-year period would start. The city will also need to figure out how to keep the six new firefighters on after the two year period is up.

The city's fire department currently has 149 members.

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