Quoted from the 2024–2026 CBA and the District Policy Manual. Wording is verbatim; the plain-English notes are summaries, not contract language. If the two ever disagree, the contract wins.
CBA 15.6 — mandatory shifts
When a shift can be made mandatory
“In the event that NCEMS is unable to fill an open shift, NCEMS shall make the shift mandatory. The shift shall be mandatory after offering the shift to all available full and part time employees and when the on-duty Battalion Chief is already being utilized to cover another 24-hour vacancy or is not available due to vacation, sick leave or other District business.”
“If the mandatory shift is for the next working day, the vacancy shall be filled with the off-going Paramedic having the least amount of seniority. If the off-going Paramedic with the least seniority will exceed the maximum allowed continuous hours worked, the second off-going Paramedic will be assigned to the mandatory shift.”
“If the mandatory shift to be filled is an immediate need (i.e. middle of workday), the shift will be filled by beginning at the top of the overtime list and requiring personnel to return to work.”
“NCEMS reserves the right to utilize Part Time Casual employees and Chief Officers to fill open shifts.”
In practice: both conditions must be true before anything is mandatory — everyone available was offered it, and the BC cannot cover. Then it is least-senior off-going for tomorrow, or top of the list for right now.
CBA 24.1 & 24.2 — maximum consecutive hours
The hours ceiling 15.6 refers to
“Employees shall not work more than 48 hours in any 56-hour work period. In any consecutive 56-hour work period an employee must have no less than 8 hours of consecutive off-duty time.”
“…if an employee is fatigued to the point of being unsafe, as determined by the supervisor, said employee may be relieved of duty earlier than the 48 hours.”
“The Chief or designee may waive the restrictions in this Article in extreme circumstances necessitating that all available personnel be called to duty. At the on-duty officer’s discretion, if the employee will be working past 48 hours due to emergency circumstances, that employee may be assigned to the third call ambulance.”
In practice: when 15.6 says “maximum allowed continuous hours worked,” this is it. Coming off a 24 and picking up another 24 puts someone at 48 — the ceiling, with only the 8-hour rest margin left. Going past it needs the Chief’s waiver under 24.2.
CBA 15.7 — skipped overtime
What is owed if someone is passed over
“The parties agree that the remedy for skipped overtime opportunities shall be make-up overtime work granted within a reasonable amount of time to the person or persons skipped.”
In practice: “skipped” here means the employer failed to offer someone their turn — not that the medic declined. This is why the app records Unavailable rather than “skip” when someone was already committed, and why a silent phone logs as No response rather than a refusal.
CBA 7.1 & 7.3 — seniority
How seniority is worked out
“A seniority list shall be maintained for all full-time employees computed as of the first day of full time employment accumulating to the day of permanent separation from NCEMS. An employee’s length of service shall not be reduced by time lost due to sick or injury leave or authorized leave of absence.”
“In the event two or more employees begin employment on the same day, placement on the seniority list is determined by their cumulative test scores.”
In practice: the ranks in Admin → Personnel are set by hand from the official list — the app does not calculate them. #1 is the most senior, so a mandatory shift falls on the highest number among the off-going crew.
CBA 15.1–15.5 — overtime and call back pay
Pay rates
Overtime is authorized work beyond 40 hours in a workweek, paid at time and one-half. Vacation and sick leave count as hours worked only for determining pay.
Call back is a minimum of one hour or actual time worked, whichever is greater, paid at double time. It applies to third or fourth call aid calls where the employee could reasonably beat duty personnel to the scene, and to specific recall.
On-call stand-by is $5.00/hour even if no hours are worked, until activated — then call back rates apply. Responders must be able to reach Station 51 within 30 minutes of activation.
Policy 1051.3 — on call status
Recall vehicle limits
“The total time a member is assigned to a first out and recall vehicle shall not exceed 72 contiguous hours, once the 72 hour mark is met the member must have a minimum 12 hour rest period. No member shall be scheduled for longer than 96 contiguous hours of recall assignment.”
Careful: this is a District policy about recall vehicle assignment. It is not the limit 15.6 points at — that one is CBA 24.1 above.
Policy 1047.6 & 1000.3.1 — length of service
Seniority in District policy
Seniority for vacation requests is based on the number of months of service shown on the official Agency payroll. Length of service for new employees runs from the date of hire; identical hire dates are separated by employment examination score, or failing that the date the application was filed.
Sources: NCEMS collective bargaining agreement 2024–2026, and the North Country EMS / Clark Fire 13 Policy Manual. Full documents govern. Nothing here is legal advice — if a call is close, check with the Chief.
