Mount Vernon board approves provisional appointment for deputy fire chief amid staffing, overtime concerns

The Mount Vernon Board of Estimate and Contract on Thursday approved the provisional appointment of Fire Captain Robert D. Curtin to provisional deputy fire chief to fill immediate vacancies in the fire department.

City leaders said the appointment is needed because one deputy chief is retiring at the end of the month, another deputy chief is on injury retirement review and the department has a separate deputy chief who serves as chief of operations, leaving gaps in supervision. The board approved the ordinance by voice and roll-call votes of aye from Comptroller Morton, Council President Brown and Mayor Patterson Howard.

Officials told the board the vacancy is driving overtime costs because deputy chiefs — not captains — are required to staff and oversee the department’s supervisory groups. “Captain Curtin has already passed the deputy chief’s exam, and so he is at the top of the list for deputy chiefs,” Mayor Patterson Howard said during the discussion. “We do have one deputy chief who is in the process of retiring … and another deputy chief who is out injured and waiting for final approval for injured retirement from the State of New York.”

Speakers emphasized that the provisional appointment is intended to reduce overtime spending at deputy-chief pay rates by installing a salaried supervisor. Officials said the city is reviewing leave-payout practices and contract provisions that affect overtime and staffing costs; a posted payroll ratio for sick-day payouts was described in the meeting as “1 to 5,” meaning a one-day entitlement would be paid out at a five-day equivalent under an existing formula discussed by the panel.

The board also discussed longer-term staffing options. Officials said the fire academy schedule and hiring timelines make near-term increases in staffing difficult: the next academy begins in September and new firefighters would generally reach the line several months after academy completion. “It takes about nine months to bring them from the beginning of the academy to the line,” an official said, and adding recruits this year would not meaningfully reduce overtime until the following budget year. The board directed staff and department leadership to analyze staffing complements and fiscal implications for the next budget cycle.

The ordinance authorizing the provisional appointment passed on the consent of the board; no amendments were proposed on the record. The discussion included no binding changes to contracts or leave-payout rules; officials said contract negotiations and further administrative analysis would guide any such changes.