FDNY union officials held an emergency news conference Monday to call on the mayor for a full repeal of the vaccine mandate. 

They are demanding that the mayor immediately revoke the vaccine mandate on the city’s workers so that no more firefighters have to lose their job. 

This all comes after the mayor’s decision to exempt professional athletes and performers from the mandate – allowing stars like the Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving to finally play a home game last night at the Barclays Center. 

Members of the Uniformed Officers Association are calling for the same treatment to be applied to firefighters who have been working on the front lines of the pandemic. 

Firefighter Jairo M. Sosa, who risked his life saving a little girl in a fire last year, is now at risk of losing his job because his family chose to not get vaccinated. 

“Because of the mandate, my wife got fired and now I am getting fired. I have two little girls and one on the way, and all I ask of the mayor is that let us work. Be fair to us,” said Sosa. 

According to the FDNY, around 15 firefighters have been let go because of the mandate and more than 400 unvaccinated firefighters are still awaiting their fate.