At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, International Association of the Fire Fighters Local 440, was approved. This agreement will amend certain provisions of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the City and the Local 440 for incoming Emergency Medical Services (EMS) positions joining the Fort Worth Fire Department (FWFD) in July 2025.
Why it matters: Through the collective bargaining process, the City and Local 440 negotiated revisions to the CBA, providing civil service status to former employees of MedStar.
- Their primary duties will be emergency medical services as emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and telecommunicators.
- The CBA approved today expires Sept. 30, 2026.
What’s new: The MOU also provides additions to the disciplinary process for fire fighters with alcohol or substance abuse problems, who will be able to receive dependency treatment and counseling if needed. The Local 440 membership ratified the MOU by majority vote on Dec. 13, 2024.
“We are pleased to have Mayor and Council approve the EMS MOU agreement. The City, along with the Local 440, look forward to continuing to work through the EMS transition process,” Valerie Washington, assistant city manager, said.
The big picture: MedStar is dissolving and the City of Fort Worth will be responsible via the Fort Worth Fire Department to provide emergency ambulance services to multiple cities in Tarrant County. The agreement outlined will create a civil service structure for EMS operational positions, including telecommunicators.
- The decision to bring ambulance services into FWFD comes after years of discussions about strengthening Fort Worth’s EMS system.
- Leaders sought a more unified approach to emergency response, where fire and medical services could work seamlessly under one department.
- This will ensure that EMS for residents and visitors is financially sustainable, responsive, timely and focused on high-quality patient care.
