After Joe Scarbeary retired from the Streator Fire Department last October, the Streator City Council decided not to hire a firefighter to replace him.
The Streator Fire Department has been working without a 15th firefighter since May 2018, after Scarbeary had an injury that would eventually lead to his retirement and the city's decision not to rehire the position in November.
From Nov. 1 to May 5, Streator firefighters worked a total of 2,239 overtime hours, with 1,056 of those hours considered coverage for what would have been a 15th firefighter, according to information provided in a Freedom of Information Act request and confirmed by Fire Chief Gary Bird.
Comparatively, a total of 1,549 overtime hours were logged from July 1 to Oct. 31, when Scarbeary would have been out on injury.
Streator firefighters union president Kurt Snow believes the situation is not sustainable.