Lambton EMS is adding four full-time paramedics to its complement.
County council approved the hires earlier this month to help address the increased need for service in the Sarnia-Lambton area.
Manager of Lambton County Paramedic Services Stephen Turner said they've seen a call volume increase of about seven per cent a year, mostly due to an aging population.
"We've seen an increase in system businesses during the daytime hours, especially in the Sarnia area, and it's really kind of getting close to the maximum level," he said. "So, we're aiming to reduce the workload impacts on our staff, ensure timely emergency response and provide capacity to address call volume growth now and into the future."
Turner said unit hour activity, or unit hour utilization, is used to measure system businesses. He said when a crew is used beyond 40 per cent of its working day, the service starts to see problems.
"Response times start to elongate, we start to see issues with having crews available for a call nearby to where it might happen, and we start to see a significant impact on crews' stress and fatigue."
Turner said while the community has seen a modest increase in population, it's also seen a seven to 10 per cent increase in those above the age of 60. He said they deal with a lot of geriatric emergencies rather than the car and trauma accidents portrayed on television.
"So, we find that 50 per cent of our call volume is for those aged 60 to 65 and over, so a lot of the things we address are things that are associated with an aging population."
The new hires will increase the full-time complement to 84 come June. Turner said they have around 70 or so part-time paramedics which varies based on seasonal fluctuation.
Turner said they're also planning to add a new ambulance in 2023.
"So, the annual operating cost for the additional crew and the vehicle is just over $500,000 a year, and this cost is shared 50-50 between the County of Lambton and the Ministry of Health."
Turner said EMS continues to work with local partners, including Lambton Public Health and Bluewater Health, to help people get the best healthcare when they need it before it becomes an emergency.