Medford Leaders Hold Heated Discussion On The Future Of EMS Service

MEDFORD, MA — City Council members, public safety leaders, and constituents all contributed to a heated discussion about the future of Medford’s emergency service provision during the Council’s most recent meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

The office of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced on Dec. 23 that the city had agreed to a three-year contract with Cataldo Ambulance. Prior to this new arrangement, Armstrong Ambulance had been the city’s primary emergency medical service provider for the last 25 years. The company and workers union have since publicly voiced its displeasure with Lungo-Koehn’s decision.

Councilor George Scarpelli began Tuesday night’s discourse by expressing his support for Armstrong, citing personal experiences he has had with the company throughout the years when his mother was ill and needed constant ambulatory services.

“They knew my mom’s name, they were there early, my mom didn’t have to wait,” Scarpelli said. “I would see my mom go into dialysis and I would watch the care that these professionals had.”

He said he was shocked to see that the city had chosen another entity in opposition to Armstrong, and that he felt that certain information did not align between the Mayor, Fire and Police Chiefs, and Armstrong.

“I’m the only one talking to all the parties,” Scarpelli said.

He proposed an executive session meeting between the council, the mayor, Fire and Police leaders, Armstrong representatives, and Cataldo in order to make sure everyone is on the same page before making a final decision.

Councilors Justin Tseng, Matthew Leming, and President Zac Bears agreed with Scarpelli’s idea.
“Why change? And why and how will residents be safer if we change? And that isn’t clear to me,” Bears said. “I want to hear from everybody.”

Armstrong CEO Rich Raymond was one of the first meeting attendees to take to the podium to make the case for his side. Raymond recapped events in the last six months of negotiation that he said gave him the impression that his company was going to get a five-year extension from the city.

“The women and men here have been doing great work for this city for years and years and years,” Raymond said. “We know the city better than anyone. We know the intricacies, we know the response patterns, we know the time of day we are going to see clusters of calls.”

He confidently expressed that Armstrong’s services are better than any other alternative the city might entertain.

Bears and the rest of the council asked Fire Chief Todd Evans and Police Chief Jack Buckley to provide detail on why they made the decision to work with Cataldo as opposed to Armstrong. Evans alluded to some new assets the contract with Cataldo includes, such as a Behavioral Support Unit or new AED devices.

“They’re adamant that they are able to take care of Medford’s needs and respond quickly and get to these calls just like anybody else,” Evans said. “I expect a smooth transition, everybody is being professional about this.”

Police Chief Buckley took a more direct approach with his comments, citing direct issues he had with Armstrong in the past that led him to be in favor of going in a different direction. He said that despite having thorough conversations with the council and others leading up to the decision, the discourse has still turned into a “circus.”

“There are issues with Armstrong Ambulance’s ability or reasons that they did not want to uphold the prior contract,” Buckley said. “We have had conversations with Armstrong Ambulance about their performance… the problem is that they continue.”

Buckley cited long response times as one of the main issues Armstrong has dealt with, and that the company was not fully forthcoming about it.

“I don’t know that this has to be dragged out through the public to satisfy everybody’s curiosity. I think at some point you have to trust your public safety personnel.”

Scarpelli said that Armstrong had a response to all of Buckley’s complaints that he felt satisfied with.
Many people with EMT experience both in and beyond Medford then poke to share their opinions.

Scarpelli’s motion for a joint meeting of all parties passed unanimously by his peers. Medford’s contract with Cataldo is slated to begin on Monday, Jan. 19.