NY Council Questions Plan to Hire Laid Off Firefighters

While Syracuse's fire chief wants to hire firefighters who were laid off in another city, the council believes its residents should have the first chance.

Syracuse Fire Chief Paul Linnertz was hoping to hire six firefighters from a group of 16 that was laid off from Oswego.

He told Time Warner Cable News that this plan would save the city money, since the firefighters already have the training. The plan was to fill a void left by 10 recruits who have dropped out of a recent fire academy class. 

"It costs about $25,000 per firefighter to train them. We're going to save a lot of money in that it is only going to costs us about $3,800 to orient these guys. And then we're going to save the overtime," Linnertz told the television station.

The council wants to hire its own residents, Syracuse Common Council President Van Robinson said.

"I think it was the way it was approached. The council found about it through the grape vine. We were never directly informed or brought into the conversation," Robinson said.

The council is still considering their final decision.