Firefighters union warns of hiring freeze danger

What they're saying: The extra work could mean "mistakes while treating patients and increasing the number of vehicular accidents due to our workers being exhausted and running high call volumes throughout their shift," Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 president Pat Cleary tells Axios.

Reality check: Emergency response times have been difficult to track over the last decade because of consistently inadequate data collection by the Chicago Fire Department, according to multiple reports by the city's inspector general.

The big picture: The city's hiring freeze applies to all departments to address a $223 million budget shortfall this year that is expected to balloon to a $1 billion fiscal gap in 2025.

Catch up quick: The union, which has been working without a new contract for three years and protested during the summer's NASCAR race and Democratic National Convention, is demanding:

• More ambulances and paramedics.
• A fifth firefighter on each truck, in compliance with national standards.

• The restoration of an aide to assist each battalion chief at the scene of a fire.

The other side: "While the City will not discuss the specifics of ongoing negotiations, the Johnson administration continues to negotiate in good faith with the goal of settling a fair contract for our City's firefighters," Mayor Brandon Johnson's office told Axios in a statement.