Medic, Charlotte Fire agree to 6-month contract extension for EMS care: What to know

By Luke Tucker

Jan. 7, 2025

https://www.wbtv.com/2025/01/07/medic-charlotte-fire-agree-6-month-contract-extension-ems-care-what-know/

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Charlotte Fire Department and Medic reached a six-month contract extension while the two sides work to reach a longer-term agreement on EMS protocol, officials said.

The extension is not a new contract, but rather a memorandum of understanding that prolongs the current contract for another six months. The contract was previously set to expire on Thursday, Jan. 9.

With the contract extension, both sides can work out a new agreement that addresses one of the central issues between the groups: Medic’s protocol.

Medic, which is Mecklenburg County’s paramedic agency, implemented a new protocol within the past few years that gave it 30 minutes to respond to non life-threatening EMS calls. In many cases, fire trucks would be the first to arrive at those calls.

Charlotte Fire claims that Medic ambulances would sometimes not show up for well over its half-hour limit. The fire department claimed that the slow response left firefighters waiting and doing more work -- and not being properly reimbursed for it.

A growing city population and number of calls added to the work for Charlotte Fire, officials said.

Charlotte Councilwoman Dr. Victoria Watlington said that last year, conversations regarding a new contract “fell flat.” However, as city leaders began working toward a new agreement more recently, she said dialogue has been “much more smooth and much more quick.”

Watlington said she hopes that the seemingly-improved communication can lead to a longer-term contract. Charlotte Fire said Tuesday that both sides are collaborating and will meet monthly to “monitor progress, evaluate operations, and address emerging needs as they arise.”

“What we’re hearing from our fire department is that there is an opportunity to reset the agreement and reset the pay scale to make sure that what we are providing in terms of resourcing is sufficiently covered through the budget,” Watlington said.

Earlier in the week, Medic said in a statement that as it works toward a new, more permanent deal, “any proposed changes to the contract need to be carefully studied by Medic’s Medical Director and Medical Control Board to ensure that the EMS System’s standard of care is not adversely impacted.”

Charlotte Fire said the existing contract, which has now been temporarily extended, gave it the “authority and medical oversight” to respond to emergency medical calls. Had the contract expired, the department said it would have no longer been “legally authorized to respond to such calls.”

Following Tuesday’s six-month extension between the two agencies, Medic said it “will provide the time necessary to redefine the role that CFD plays as a First Responder in the EMS System.”