The city of Fort Worth took another step toward the final merger of MedStar with the Fort Worth Fire Department. That was one of three items approved during the Jan. 28 meeting at old City Hall.

City Council voted to approve a memorandum of understanding between the city, the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association and the International Association of the Fire Fighters Local 440.

The framework

MedStar is dissolving and the city of Fort Worth will be responsible via the Fort Worth Fire Department to provide emergency ambulance services to multiple cities once served by MedStar.

Incoming city employees joining the fire department in July in emergency medical service positions will be provided civil service status during their employment. That change will impact emergency medical technicians, paramedics and dispatchers coming from MedStar, according to city documents.


The conditions

The MOU also provides for additions to the disciplinary process for firefighters in the existing collective bargaining agreement, which runs through Sept. 30, 2026. A new program will allow firefighters with alcohol or substance abuse problems to receive needed dependency treatment and counseling, rather than face immediate termination of their employment. The Local 440 membership ratified the MOU by majority vote on December 13, 2024, according to city documents.

The action taken

The Trinity River Authority of Texas is planning the Henrietta Creek Relief Interceptor Project, which would install approximately 13,000 linear feet of relief pipeline and requested easements for the project, according to city documents.


The easements run along the west side of Heritage Parkway and the north and south sides of Westport Parkway, which is located in District 10 in Fort Worth.

Council voted to approve the conveyance of 4.72 acres to TRA for $201,593 during the meeting.

Diving in deeper

A non-exclusive agreement was reached with five different companies for motor and aviation fuel for all city departments.


Pinnacle Petroleum, Inc., Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville, Inc., TACenergy, Petroleum Traders Corporation and Campbell Oil Company are part of a five-year contract and two renewal years which will not require specific council approval if the city has appropriated funds, according to city documents.

City documents stated 12 companies had applied for the contract and no guarantee was made that a specific amount of these fuels would be purchased from each vendor, according to the city memo.

The cost will increase from $15 million to $34 million if the renewal is approved in 2031.

The breakdown of the cost is:
  • Year 1—$15,000,000
  • Year 2—$17,250,000
  • Year 3—$19,837,500
  • Year 4—$22,813,125
  • Year 5—$26,235,094
  • Year 6—$30,170,358 for the first year of the renewal
  • Year 7—$34,695,911 for the second year of the renewal