Fire Chief Jim Seymour to Leave Scarsdale for Peekskill

Change is afoot in the Village of Scarsdale. The Village recently appointed a new Village Manager and a new Deputy Village Manager, the search is on to replace Village Clerk Donna Conkling due to her retirement, and on Friday December 10, 2021, long term Scarsdale Fire Chief James E. Seymour announced that he will be leaving in just a few weeks to accept the position of Peekskill Fire Chief.

Seymour, who worked in Scarsdale for 17 years will return to the department where he began his fire service career.

According to Village Manager Rob Cole, the Village of Scarsdale has initiated the
recruitment process for Chief Seymour’s successor, an effort undertaken in accordance with prescribed Westchester County civil service protocols.

Cole said, "We will likely need to appoint an interim chief while the recruitment process is underway. As for timing, the process will proceed consistent with Westchester County civil service requirements. While efficiency of the hiring process is important, we are also sharply focused on selecting the best candidate to lead the fire department forward.

With respect to the market for hiring municipal employees, it should be noted that five Scarsdale FD captains are included on the Westchester County fire chief promotional list. To support public safety excellence and to support succession planning, the Village of Scarsdale invests in training and development of our public safety front line and leadership personnel. Additionally, each of our fire captains is deeply committed to serving the Scarsdale community. Our recruitment process will ensure that the best candidate is selected to fill the role of fire chief; our captains will certainly have opportunity to compete for this critical appointment.

In making the announcement to his Scarsdale colleagues, Chief Seymour wrote, “I am accepting the newly created Fire Chief position in the City of Peekskill. I have been offered an opportunity to return to the city where I was born, raised, and started my fire service career over 20 years ago.” He continued, “The decision was certainly made more difficult due to the high caliber employees that I have had the pleasure to work alongside here in Scarsdale. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with all of you.”

Chief James E. Seymour IV began his fire service career as a volunteer with the City of Peekskill Fire Department in 1995 at the age of eighteen. He was then hired by the City of Peekskill as a career firefighter in 2001, continuing to serve Peekskill until transferring to the Village of Scarsdale Fire Department in 2004. During his tenure with the Scarsdale Fire Department, Jim has served as Firefighter, Captain and Municipal Training Officer, and ultimately Chief, a position he has held since 2016. Chief Seymour is scheduled to start with the City of Peekskill on January 01, 2022.