A legal dispute between the City of Albuquerque’s administration and its City Council over EMS staffing in the Albuquerque Fire Rescue has come to a negotiated conclusion, bringing an end to a lawsuit that has been unfolding for almost a year.
At issue was a dispute of whether AFR EMS units would be staffed with one or two paramedics. In early 2025, Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo announced plans to expand a staffing model that had been running as a pilot since 2021 requiring one medic. IAFF Local 244 objected to the plan.
In March 2025, the City Council passed a resolution requiring two paramedics on every AFR EMS unit. That staffing mandate that became the flashpoint for a broader debate about governance, public safety policy, and the scope of legislative authority in setting operational standards for fire-based EMS.
Mayor Tim Keller challenged the Council’s resolution as both a separation-of-powers violation and an operational mandate that interfered with executive authority over department administration. The legal fight included a separation-of-powers action filed in state district court, parallel petitions for judicial review of administrative determinations, and contentious engagement before the city’s Intragovernmental Conference Committee (ICC).
The Mayor also filed an unfair labor practice charge against the individual members of the City Council and IAFF Local 244.
The ICC determined that staffing configuration of EMS units is an executive/administrative function, not a legislative one, and therefore the Council’s mandate was invalid as applied. That prompted the Council to appeal.
Under the terms of the settlement announced on February 17, 2026, the lawsuit and all outstanding legal challenges have been resolved. The agreement provides for a formal review process for AFR’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) expansion pilot at seven fire stations and emphasizes a collaborative approach that incorporates input from firefighters and union representatives through an ALS Expansion Working Group.
Mayor Tim Keller characterized the accord as a reaffirmation of shared responsibility for public safety, stating that cooperation, rather than litigation, best serves residents and first responders alike. City Council leadership echoed that sentiment, noting that resolving the dispute was a Council priority.
The settlement also calls for the dismissal with prejudice of the Council’s appeal of the ICC ruling and its challenge to the labor board’s denial of legislative immunity, effectively foreclosing refiling on those claims. Additionally, the Council agreed to remove individual councilors as parties to the prohibited-practice complaint, which will proceed only against the firefighters’ union with hearings scheduled in the coming weeks.
A newly formed EMS Training Ad Hoc Committee is also part of the settlement framework; it will focus on paramedic, advanced EMT, and EMT-B training pathways, instructor coordination, and education enhancements. This reflects part of the broader debate about how best to deploy advanced medical personnel in response to 911 calls—whether through two-paramedic rescue units, single-paramedic deployments across more apparatus, or hybrid staffing models.
