Chicago Fire Department – BGA Policy 2025 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2024 Budget

• CFD is primarily funded out of the corporate fund, with a slight increase this year in appropriations from that fund; the department's overall budget cut stems largely from a -$23.8 million (-42.2%) decline in federal grant funds from last year's budget.
• Similar to the previous year, CFD's projected 2025 budget sees an increase in the number of budgeted EMT roles, with a decline in budgeted non-EMT firefighter positions. The budget also eliminates a number of non-uniformed roles, including graphic artist, photographic specialist, project coordinator, and data entry positions.
• As with several other departments, CFD's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.
• Apart from the reserve balance, a $2.2 million increase in salaries and wages was the largest single-category CFD appropriation increase from the 2024 budget to 2025's proposal, with a -$54.5 million decrease in outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation the largest decline.

Historical Context

The Chicago Fire Department is the city's second-largest operating department by number of budgeted positions. Several other departments appropriate more funds, particularly since the addition of federal pandemic relief funds in the 2021 budget and onwards; as of 2024 CFD had the sixth-largest operating budget among city departments.

From 2011-2024, CFD's budget grew at an average rate of 3.8% per year. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 6.1% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.5% annually.

The department's budgeted workforce has remained extremely consistent over the past 13 years, with an annual average decline of -0.04% in budgeted positions from 2011-2024. This matches closely with the city's overall staffing changes, which have also remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of 0.04%.

Staffing

Overall staffing levels are down only slightly, with a net change of -7 positions, down -0.14% from last year's budgeted positions.

Similar to the previous year, the projected 2025 budget sees an increase in the number of budgeted EMT roles, with a decline in budgeted non-EMT firefighter positions. The budget also eliminates a number of non-uniformed roles, including graphic artist, photographic specialist, project coordinator, and data entry positions.

Appropriations

CFD is primarily funded out of the corporate fund, with a 0.4% increase this year in appropriations from that fund.

Budgeted federal grants dropped considerably, down -$23.8 million from last year's budget, a -42.2% decline that accounts for the bulk of the department's budget cut.

Largest Appropriations

Personnel expenses make up the bulk of CFD's budget, with salaries and wages the largest appropriation by far, followed by overtime as the second-largest.

Change from Previous Year

As with several other departments, CPD's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.

Apart from the reserve balance, a $2.2 million increase in salaries and wages was the largest single-category CFD appropriation increase from the 2024 budget to 2025's proposal, with a -$54.5 million decrease in outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation the largest decline.

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