NYC firefighter, 36, who was fired in budget crunch to fund migrant shelters dies from heart attack and leaves his family struggling to make ends meet

The family of a New York City firefighter have been left distraught after he was fired by the department and then died from a heart attack at the age of 36, leaving them without any income whatsoever or death benefits.

Derek Floyd, 36, suffered a cardiac arrest and died on April 15 just four months after the city sacked him as part of a slash in budgets, in order to divert much needed funds towards the city's migrant crisis.

Floyd's death has now left his grieving widow, six-year-old son Ethan and two-year-old daughter Abigail facing the terrifying prospect that they may soon no longer be able to afford a roof over their heads. 

Floyd had been a firefighter for four years was one of roughly 10 Fire Department employees who had been on 'long term duty' with his firing coming just days before Christmas. 

His dismissal came as the city desperately searched for ways to pay for housing and services for the tens of thousands of migrants arriving in the Big Apple.

The city is aiming to cut the FDNY budget by $74 million by the end of 2025 in order make way for additional spending on migrants. 

Long term duty can mean a firefighter was either injured on the job and given office work, or is out sick for an extended period of time. 

In Floyd's case, he had been working in the chaplain's office after suffering an earlier heart attack in 2019 while still in the Fire Academy. 

Before joining New York's Bravest, Floyd had completed three tours in the Middle East, serving with the Marines.

In a cruel twist of fate, the father of two young children was on the path to becoming medically cleared in order to re-enter the force as a firefighter.

He would also have been eligible for more than $600,000 worth of death benefits before his sacking but it now leaves his family with nothing.

'I wouldn't wish it on anyone,' widow Cristine Floyd, 34, told the New York Post. 

'I think it definitely took a toll once they let him go. 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 just constantly thinking, so I definitely think it did affect us,' Christine explained.

'He used to be so present for, like, our kids and stuff. Being a firefighter was something he was really passionate about. He was really a big-time, like, family person, he was all about his kids.

'If Derek would have stayed on, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY. That would have helped out financially because right now, it's really bad. I'm honestly swimming in a lot of debt,' the grieving widow revealed. 

She said that watching him struggle to make a living while at the same time trying to be present with his family was hard.

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

Following Floyd's firing, he had found work with a non-profit that helps veterans, but the pay was much less than the FDNY, there were limited medical benefits and he was not able to spend as much time with his children.

'What disturbs me the most is that the FDNY is understaffed by hundreds of firefighters. Terminating [Floyd] was absolutely unnecessary,' Uniformed Firefighter Association President Andrew 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,' Ansbro noted.

Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh says the FDNY are looking into how they can help.

'We are heartbroken over the passing of former Probationary Firefighter Derek Floyd, and will explore all financial, legal and legislative options to help his family and ensure they have the support they need during this time,' said Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.