City residency requirements have been lifted for Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire firefighters.
That is the ruling of a neutral arbitrator who has determined the city did not have the right to restrict residency. The arbitrator has now issued a cease and desist order on the city’s enforcement of residency for its firefighters. By declaring the requirement invalid, all 657 uniform firefighters are now free to live wherever they choose. “My membership is obviously happy with the decision that’s come down,” Ralph Sicuro of the Pittsburgh Firefighters Union said.
City police officers were granted that option four years ago, and now the city firefighters have it. Sicuro said it’s the right decision.
“I think giving people the choice to live in the city or whether they want to live in the suburbs is the right thing to do,” he said. “Everybody should have the ability to choose.”