ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s administration and the City Council have reached a settlement to end their legal dispute over paramedic staffing, resolving a months-long fight over who has authority over emergency response staffing decisions.
City Desk ABQ reported the agreement ends all pending legal challenges, including a separation-of-powers lawsuit filed earlier this year. It also sets up a formal review process for Albuquerque Fire Rescue’s advanced life support expansion pilot at seven fire stations.
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“This agreement reflects our shared responsibility to put public safety first,” Keller said. “By working together, we can build trust, support our first responders and ensure our residents receive the high-quality emergency care they deserve.”
The dispute began in early 2025 after Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo announced plans to expand a staffing model that had operated as a pilot program since 2021.
The firefighters’ union opposed the change, warning it could delay life-saving care on critical calls where having two paramedics can be the difference between life and death. In March, the City Council approved a resolution requiring two paramedics on every Albuquerque Fire Rescue unit, a move Keller later challenged in court.
Under the settlement, Albuquerque Fire Rescue will assess the program’s results using data, operational experience, and feedback from firefighters and the community.
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A memo on the settlement, obtained by City Desk ABQ, says the agreement returns the issue to where it stood a year ago and affirms Jaramillo’s authority over Albuquerque Fire Rescue staffing. It also states that no additional staffing splits or structural changes tied to the ALS expansion will be made during the current bid cycle.
Under the terms outlined in the memo, the City Council will dismiss with prejudice both its appeal of the Intragovernmental Conference Committee decision and its challenge to the labor board’s denial of legislative immunity, meaning those cases cannot be refiled.
The settlement further establishes an EMS Training Ad Hoc Committee, made up of Albuquerque Fire Rescue leadership and union representatives, to review training for paramedics, AEMTs and EMT-Bs, along with instructor coordinators and education options.
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