Port Chester was ordered by the New York State Supreme Court to temporarily restore the staffing of the Rye Brook firehouse with a paid firefighter starting Friday night.
The court’s ruling comes 24 hours after Rye Brook filed a lawsuit against Port Chester for violating a shared fire services contract when Port Chester eliminated its paid fire department last week.
As part of the fire services agreement between the two villages, Rye Brook pays Port Chester about $1 million annually from 2013 to 18 for a career Port Chester firefighter to staff the Rye Brook fire station for a 12-hour overnight shift each night.
The court order begins Friday night and runs until May 20, when the two villages will meet with the judge. With the paid Port Chester firefighter back in the Rye Brook firehouse at night, Rye Brook Mayor Paul Rosenberg said he is willing to meet with Port Chester officials, which he was previously unwilling to do.