Mecklenburg Co. leaders called to table over dispute between MEDIC and local fire departments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When you call 911 with a medical emergency, firefighters are usually the first to respond, but MEDIC and local fire departments are having trouble agreeing to a deal to keep that going.

High-stakes negotiations are underway over emergency responses in Mecklenburg County, and leaders from every part of Mecklenburg County gathered together in the same room for the first time on Wednesday to try to sort this out.

It all stems from money and workload.

Many of the towns in the county support an independent study to look at how MEDIC and fire departments work together to respond to medical calls. For now, the county says it supports fire department subsidies so you don’t see any major disruptions when you call 911.

Representatives from Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, Davidson, Matthews, Cornelius, Huntersville and Pineville met with MEDIC leadership as three local fire departments struggle to renegotiate their contracts with MEDIC.

The fire departments want to respond to fewer low-priority EMS calls, and they watn more money. The Charlotte Fire Department is asking for $1.8 million per year, an increase from $500,000; Huntersville is asking to go from $106,000 to $1.6 million; it’s not yet known what Cornelius is asking for.

MEDIC says Mecklenburg County is the only county in the state that pays fire departments to respond to medical calls. That money would come from county taxes.

“While you’re taxing your residents, you’re now asking Meck to tax people again,” said Dena Diorio, the outgoing Mecklenburg County manager.

Becky Hawke, the town manager of Matthews, said that revenue would be available for other needs in the community.

MEDIC says it needs fire departments more than ever. The agency says they’ve had an additional 10,000 911 calls this fiscal year, an increase of 7%.

We’ll keep following this story and bring you the latest as it develops.

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