Council Questions Fire Department Shortages

Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt faced sharp criticism from city council members during her final budget hearings. The questioning began hours after a townhouse fire in Rogers Park killed a family of four.

Erik Steinmetz, president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, argued that the department lacks sufficient ambulances, modern equipment, and proper training. He stated that these gaps have resulted in Chicago recording more line-of-duty deaths than any other city in the country.

Steinmetz noted that the department does not provide firefighters with the continuing training they require. He said the city expects these workers to face dangerous environments without adequate preparation. He added that the department frequently buries the firefighters it asks to take those risks.

The union leader also pointed to a trend of downgrading advanced life support units. This change removes paramedic-level care from neighborhoods that rely on it. Alderman Matt O’Shea, who is retiring from the 19th Ward, said the number of downgraded units has exploded in the past two weeks.

O’Shea said these downgrades slow response times for cardiac arrest, overdoses, and strokes. He asked what the city is doing to resolve the shortage of paramedics and the issue of their pay. He noted that minutes matter in these medical emergencies.

Nance-Holt attributed the staffing gap to a 2016 arbitration award. This award allowed firefighters to drop their paramedic licenses and work as emergency medical technicians. She said this change created shortages on advanced life support engines and trucks.

The commissioner said the department is not responsible for the initial design of this pay structure. A 10 percent budget increase for paramedics and crossovers has not yet attracted enough workers to these roles. She described the shortage as a national crisis that became more severe after the pandemic.

Nance-Holt explained that many paramedics leave for suburban departments where they can earn the same or higher pay with less physical exertion. The shortage peaked on Halloween night, when 17 of 90 fire trucks were downgraded due to a lack of available staff.

District Chief Mike Divita said it is difficult to staff units on weekends. Since Halloween fell on a Saturday, the number of downgrades increased sharply. The department offered overtime to available paramedics but found few takers, forcing them to strategically downgrade specific companies.

Steinmetz argued that the current 3.5 percent pay difference between EMTs and paramedics is too small. This gap amounts to only $30 per paycheck. He compared this to Seattle, where paramedics earn 17 percent more, and Los Angeles, where the difference is 10 percent.

The union president suggested that a 10 percent differential would bring some workers back. He believed a 15 percent increase would likely return most of them. Nance-Holt acknowledged that the term downgrade sounds negative but is necessary due to various obstacles.

These obstacles include more firefighters seeking work-life balance and utilizing family and parental leave. Nance-Holt said the department must figure out how to work through these changes. She stated that the situation needs to be dealt with directly.