Harvey firefighters stretched to the limit after furloughs as city seeks state aid

HARVEY - One week after sidelining roughly 40% of its workforce, city departments in Harvey are grappling with the changes brought on by sweeping furloughs. 

It's left first responders stretched thin as officials try to get a handle on the city's debt crisis. 

One Harvey firehouse has temporarily closed, and the remaining two stations are operating with limited staff.

What we know:

On Monday, only five members of the Harvey Fire Department were on duty to cover the entire city. On Sunday, there were just four.

It’s unclear how long the situation will last, but firefighters fear burnout as staffing shortages continue.

"When you call 911, that door's going to roll up, the rig's going to roll out, and it's going to roll out with however many people we can get on it for the day. But there is a concern not only from the citizens, but from the men as well. With a significant reduction in staffing, the job is going to be much more dangerous for us — and because it’s more dangerous for us, it’s going to be more dangerous for the citizens," explained Lt. Keith Freeman, secretary of the Harvey Firemen’s Association (I.A.F.F.) Local 471.

Based on its union contract, the Harvey Fire Department typically requires a minimum of seven firefighters per shift to keep all three stations open. Over the past seven days, that hasn’t been possible. Seventeen of Harvey's 37 firefighters were furloughed last week.

"Because of the layoffs, we've been forced to close down one of the outlying stations," Freeman said. 

The cuts come as Mayor Christopher Clark seeks aid through the state’s Distressed City Law to help address roughly $140 million in debt — which he said was inherited from previous administrations.

Representatives from the Harvey Firemen’s Association have been meeting with the mayor in recent days in hopes of bringing furloughed firefighters back as soon as possible. However, it remains unclear whether that could take days, weeks, or even months.

"The guys are hurting, the guys in the department are hurt, and they will continue to hurt until we can bring them back," Freeman shared. 

It's leaving some firefighters looking for side gigs to pay the bills. Freeman says members can test with other departments but says that's not an ideal scenario: "You're coming in as a rookie or a probationary fireman and that process takes months or even years to be hired on."

Last week, Fox 32 shared the story of Daniel Raygoza, whose wife gave birth to their baby girl one day after he learned of the furloughs.

In the meantime, Harvey will rely on assistance from neighboring departments through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) during emergencies; however, the Harvey Fire Department does not currently have the capacity to offer help to other cities. 

"There is a tremendous amount of pride in this department, the guys who come to this department come to this department because they want to be Harvey firemen. I know that a number of them would love to have their jobs back and I know a lot of them would return if they could return quickly," Freeman said. 

A GoFundMe campaign launched by the union to support the furloughed firefighters has raised more than $45,000.

What's next:

On the law enforcement front, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has assigned additional patrols to Harvey to help offset the police department’s staffing shortages.

The city’s finance committee met Monday night, but officials were not expected to take any action related to the furloughs. 

FOX 32 reached out to Mayor Clark and Harvey Fire Chief Howard Fisher for comment. Clark was unavailable, and Fisher did not immediately respond to our request.