New Ambulance Service Takes Over In Medford Amidst Controversy

MEDFORD, MA — Cataldo Ambulance officially began its tenure as the city’s ambulance service provider this week, the company announced.

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. During its Jan. 6 meeting, the City Council heard from people on both sides of the debate, and ultimately decided to hold another meeting with all parties represented in order to decide whether it should push back on the mayor’s decision.

The debate continued during the council’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The city argued that Armstrong had not fulfilled certain parts of its contract, while Armstrong CEO Rich Raymond and others defended themselves. By the conclusion of the nearly five hour meeting, the council voted unanimously to ask Lungo-Koehn to pause the ongoing transition in ambulance and emergency service providers.

“Following a structured transition period, Medford’s 9-1-1 EMS system is fully operational and integrated with local public safety and hospital partners,” Cataldo said in a statement on Monday, Jan. 19. “We are proud to serve Medford today and every day.”

Armstrong remains a headquarters location in Medford at 70 Union St.

“Armstrong Ambulance is also proud of its long-standing history of managing municipal EMS systems. In our 80 years of service across the Commonwealth, Armstrong has never lost an emergency medical services contract,” Armstrong said in a statement earlier this month. “We were therefore extremely disappointed by the decision to sever our partnership with the City of Medford. We remain hopeful that we will have the opportunity to apply for consideration to return as Medford’s City EMS provider when the contract is next available in January 2029.”