CHICAGO — Chicago’s inspector general said two fire department employees worked as extras on “Chicago Fire” when they shouldn’t have.
Chicago Tribune reported that in one case a deputy district chief was on duty while he worked on the show. The chief retired before he could be disciplined, but inspector Joseph Ferguson said the city received compensation of $1,634 for the time he was on duty while on the show’s set.
In the second case, a firefighter worked on the show while on medical leave. He was later fired.
Ferguson recommended that both fire and police department workers appearing on the show fill out time sheets from the program to prevent accusations of working there when they’re supposed to be on duty.
He also noted that firefighters have been trading shifts to get time off to work on the show, which is a violation of the firefighters’ union contract that prohibits trading shifts for outside employment.
Ferguson also lashed out at firefighters and medics for bringing their department-issued gear to work on the show, an apparent violation of department rules.