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Huntersville fire leaders press for more full‑time staff, new stations and contract relief from Medic
Summary
Fire officials told the board response times have risen (from about 6:35 to 8:30 on average), urged renegotiation of the Medic contract to avoid low‑acuity dispatches, and outlined multi‑year plans for new stations, apparatus procurement and conversion of part‑time roles to full time.
Huntersville fire leadership told the Town Board the department is responding to more calls and that average response times have increased, prompting requests for staffing increases, new fire stations and clearer terms with Medic about which calls the fire department should be dispatched to.
Fire command reported an increase in call volume and said the average time to reach some homes rose from about 6 minutes 35 seconds to roughly 8 minutes 30 seconds year‑over‑year; management cited traffic, new roundabouts and a growing number of nonemergency medical dispatches as key contributors. Leaders argued that routinely sending a $1 million‑plus fire apparatus to low‑acuity calls imposed a growing operational and cost burden.
On emergency medical services, the town canceled its prior Medic contract and is negotiating a replacement. Fire staff said the town currently budgets roughly $106,000 in revenue tied to Medic arrangements but wants contractual relief from an obligation to respond to “every call, wherever and whenever.” Officials described a county‑wide consultant review (Health Care Strategies) that is evaluating ambulance deployment and response metrics; Medic has added ambulances to its fleet but municipalities seek clearer scope and compensation for nontransport or low‑acuity responses.
Command also laid out capital and staffing plans: a multi‑year apparatus procurement schedule (some apparatus require multi‑year lead times and staged payments), an ongoing plan to convert additional part‑time roles to full time so trucks are reliably staffed, and a CIP timeline that anticipates Fire Station 5 (Hiwassee Road) work through architect selection in 2026 and an operational station targeted around 2028. The department described typical funding practice for apparatus (a roughly 60% down payment with the balance at delivery) and warned that delaying purchases increases future costs.
Fire leadership requested funds to promote three captains and three engineers and to hire six additional firefighters to sustain another full‑time apparatus. They emphasized that full‑time staffing reduces reliance on personnel whose primary employer is another department and makes schedules more reliable.
What’s next: staff will continue negotiating the Medic contract, advance the CIP for station siting and architect selection, and return in the budget process with specific cost estimates for promotions, firefighter hires and apparatus purchases.
