There’s a new fire chief for the City of Newburgh, New York.
City officials have hired Francis “F. J.” Spinelli as chief of the Fire Department. Spinelli comes to Newburgh after a 28-year career with the Hartsdale Fire District in Westchester County. The lifelong Hudson Valley resident started in emergency services 40 years ago as a volunteer and has spent the majority of his tenure in the fire service as a deputy fire chief. Newburgh City Councilmember Robert Sklarz participated in an interview with Spinelli last month, and says he hopes Spinelli’s management experience will prompt him to establish measures to monitor and control overtime expenditures to keep spending within budget. Spinelli succeeds Bill Horton, who retired.