NYC Firefighter Died of Heart Attack Months After ‘Unnecessary’ Firing to Reallocate Cash for Migrants
A 36-year-old New York City firefighter died of a heart attack just months after being fired to pay for the growing number of illegal immigrants.
Derek Floyd suffered cardiac arrest and passed away on April 15. According to the New York Post, Floyd was terminated amid the city’s effort to pay for housing and services for the countless number of illegal immigrants flooding the city. TPUSA reported in September 2023 that the city planned to cut overtime pay for officers, first responders, and other agencies to secure additional funding to handle the growing migrant crisis.
FDNY sources say that Floyd was fired the week before Christmas and was one of 10 fire department employees on “long-term duty,” meaning he was either injured on the job or out sick for an extended period.
Floyd served three tours in the Middle East with the Marines and was working a desk job at the FDNY because he had suffered a heart attack in 2019 while in the Fire Academy. He was on the cusp of receiving medical clearance to re-enter the firefighting force before he was fired.
Due to Floyd’s employment status at the time of his death, the family is left with no benefits. Floyd’s 34-year-old wife Christine said she “wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“If Derek would have stayed on, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY,” the widow said. “That would have helped out financially because right now, it’s really bad.”
“I’m honestly swimming in a lot of debt,” she continued.
Uniformed Firefighter Association president Andrew Ansbro told the Post that the FDNY believes Floyd’s termination was “absolutely unnecessary.”
“What disturbs me the most is that the FDNY is understaffed by hundreds of firefighters. Terminating [Floyd] was absolutely unnecessary,” Ansbro said. “He had an important job, and the FDNY actually needed him in that unit. He was terminated so the department could prove that they were making cuts. He deserved better.”
City Hall executed plans to slash the FDNY budget by $74 million by the end of 2025, in part to put that money towards illegal immigrants. Floyd was among many “long-term duty” staff that were let go in the push to change financial allocations.
The NYPD is facing a similar budget cut. City Hall initially set out to cut $132 million by getting rid of five Police Academy classes. Three of the classes have been restored.
