New York firefighter dies of heart attack after being fired from paying for migrants, leaving his family with nothing

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By means of Craig McCarthy And Alex Oliveira

An FDNY firefighter has died of a heart attack just months after he was fired as part of the city’s efforts to free up money for the migrant crisis, leaving his grieving widow and children struggling to keep a roof over their heads hold.

Derek Floyd, 36, went into cardiac arrest and died on April 15, four months after the city gave him the boot as part of a larger effort to cut staff and pay for housing and services for the tens of thousands of migrants entering the Big Flooding Apple. .

Floyd was one of about 10 fire department employees who were on “extended duty” — either injured on the job and assigned office duties or on long-term sick leave — and were fired weeks before Christmas, FDNY sources told The Post.

Floyd, a veteran who served three times with the Marines in the Middle East, was among those working a desk job — toiling in the fire chaplain’s office — after suffering another heart attack in 2019 while at the Fire Academy.

In the chaplain’s office, the firefighter, who was on modified duty, helped arrange the funerals of fallen FDNY members.

The married father of two young children tried to get medical clearance to return to work in the fire service before he was fired.

Floyd had fallen just shy of securing additional medical benefits for his family and more than $600,000 in death benefits when he was booted, leaving his family with nothing despite his years of service.

“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Floyd’s 34-year-old widow Cristine told The Post of the family’s experience.

“I think it definitely took a toll when they let him go,” she said of her husband’s firing. “He always tried to stay positive about it, and he wasn’t really angry.

“But you see a person and the wheels are turning in their brain, where they’re constantly thinking, so I definitely think it influenced us.”

After Floyd was fired, he found a job at a nonprofit that helps veterans, but the pay was a fraction of what he earned at the FDNY, the benefits were limited, and the hours prevented him from spending time with their children, a 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl.

“He was always so present for our kids and everything,” Cristine said. “Being a firefighter was something he was really passionate about. He was truly a family man, he was all about his children.

“If Derek had stayed, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY,” the widow said. “That would have helped financially, because things are really bad at the moment. To be honest, I am in a lot of debt.”

Floyd’s firing was part of City Hall’s plan to cut the FDNY budget by $74 million by the end of 2025 to make room for migrant spending.

It is unclear how many long-serving staff will ultimately be laid off as part of the effort, but there are typically between 800 and 1,000 designated individuals at any given time.

The NYPD is also facing budget cuts, with its budget set to be reduced by $132 million by eliminating five upcoming Police Academy classes.

The city Department of Education will also lose about $547 million, and the Department of Sanitation will see a $32 million budget cut.

Floyd’s firing — and the circumstances that have now befallen his family since his death as a result — have sparked outrage among some.

“What bothers me most is that the FDNY is understaffed by hundreds of firefighters. Terminating (Floyd) was absolutely unnecessary,” Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighter Association, told The Post.

“He had an important job, and the FDNY actually needed him in that unit. He was fired so the department could prove they were making cuts. He deserved better,” Ansbro added.

Cristine said watching her husband struggle to make ends meet while being with his family after the discharge was the worst of anything they have experienced.

“I really, really loved him, and so it was hard,” she said.

Neither the FDNY nor the city responded to Post requests for comment.

Donations to help the Floyds can be made to the New York Firefighters Foundation and mailed to FF Derek Floyd C/O UFA – NYFFinc 204 E. 23rd St, NY,NY 10010.