WC Career Firefighter Residency Restrictions?

[x635 4,066]

Hey All-

Just wondering if Career Firefighters employed in Westchester County are restricted to live in certain areas, and/or restricted to live in NY state.

I know some departments, such as Stamford and Norwalk, have a radius requirment. And I think FDNY has something like NYS only, and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Sullivan and Orange. But not sure about Westchester. I heard you can live in NJ or CT if you wanted, but not sure and curious.

[Guest Pal196]

I know the FDNY has a residency requirement of any adjacent county within NYS to the one county that borders NYC. For example: Westchester County borders NYC, so any other NYS county that borders Westchester (Putnam, Rockland and Orange county are OK as well as Nassau & Suffolk Counties). So, Sullivan and Dutchess counties are not allowed.

Pretty crazy requirement, considering if you worked on Staten Island and lived in Port Jervis (Orange County) that's OK; but if you lived in Jersey City, NJ that's allowed.

That's a big travel time difference.

As for Westchester and all other counties of NYS. I have heard, there is an antiquated rule on the books by NY state Civil Service, that may not allow members to live out of state, but the law is so old, that by today's standards of travel time and highway systems, something that now takes an hour to drive, might have taken much longer when this rule was put on the books.

I would guess the final decsion would rest with each municipality to decide if that wanted to try to enforce it. If it has not been enforced at all, it may be very difficult to turn around and say we are going to enforce it now after "x" amount of years of not doing so.

I believe employees of Fire Districts do not fall under this antiquated rule and only members of Fire Departments do.

I think the final say rests up to each municipality in the long run to state their residency requirements, in getting the job and thereafter (acceptable counties or a mile radius rule).

I have heard about the mile radius of Stamford and I don't recall what it is; but it is a pretty generous and fair amount from what I remember, when first hearing of it.