Raises Are in the Deal—but Will Four More Daily Staffers Be Enough for Fort Worth?

Aqua Richjo| September 28, 2026

Fort Worth firefighters and EMS personnel could get a new four-year contract Tuesday. City Council is scheduled to vote September 29 on a tentative agreement with the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association Local 440. The deal calls for a 5% across-the-board raise, step increases in fiscal year 2027 and market raises in later years. It would also raise the minimum daily staffing requirement from 248 to 252. The agreement still needs all required approvals; it is not final.

The vote follows a July bargaining impasse and a major change in how Fort Worth delivers emergency care. The city brought approximately 650 former MedStar employees into its fire-based EMS system. That makes this contract a question about ambulances and emergency response as well as firefighter pay.

What does the staffing change mean on the ground?

Four additional people in the daily minimum is a concrete increase. The proposed agreement also increases the relief ratio—extra staffing intended to cover absences—from 20% to 40%. But those figures alone cannot tell residents whether a particular station will have enough personnel or how quickly an ambulance will reach their neighborhood.

That is the next question for the city and Local 440: Where will the additional coverage go, and what results should residents expect? Station-level staffing, overtime trends and ambulance response times would help the public judge the deal after it takes effect.

Show the full cost

Fort Worth confronted a projected $94 million shortfall while planning its fiscal year 2027 budget. The city has since closed that projected gap and approved a budget with a placeholder for the outcome of fire contract negotiations. Residents still need the complete fiscal impact of the agreement council will actually consider.

Earlier in bargaining, the city described a $40 million proposal, while it put the union’s request at approximately $152 million. Neither figure is the final cost of this tentative contract. Council should make the cost of the actual agreement clear before the vote.

No Chill News wants to hear from firefighters, EMS staff—including former MedStar personnel—and residents about what coverage looks like now. We also want the city and union to release the final ratification result, the contract’s full price tag and the measures they will use to track staffing and response times.

A raise and a higher staffing minimum are on the table. Fort Worth deserves to know what they will deliver when someone calls for help.

Reporting basis: Fort Worth Report’s September 22 story, published by KERA and the city’s September 29 council meeting calendar. No Chill News has not independently reviewed the full tentative contract or interviewed city officials, union members or residents.