Local municipalities have until Jan. 31 to provide input on a proposed 2024-2028 Lambton EMS Master Plan as the service responds to the growing challenges of an aging and increasingly marginalized population, officials say.
“EMS faces several challenges on the road ahead — the most pressing is the fact that our call volume is increasing at a pace that’s 24-times the rate of growth of Lambton’s population,” Lambton EMS manager Stephen Turner told County Council recently. “With an annual call volume growth of 5.9% over the next five years, demand for service will have increased 30%.”
At its Nov. meeting, Lambton County Council accepted the Master Plan and its recommendations but asked that the document be sent to each local municipality for its input and comments by January 31, 2024.
The document is the result of a comprehensive examination of current operations and the anticipated service demands for the next five years, Taylor said, pointing to three main objectives — to identify opportunities to improve use of existing resources; identify any need to relocate existing resources; and identify any additional resource needs for the five-year horizon.
“Ambulance service demand is primarily driven by the medical needs of an aging population,” Taylor said, noting that those over age 65 account for more than half the call volume, but only represent only 25% of the population.
“The trend is only going to accelerate the years ahead,” he said.
Lambton EMS will also need to develop new strategies to respond ‘compassionately and effectively’ to the needs of a growing homeless population, he added.
“Between 2021-2022, Lambton EMS has seen a doubling of calls for service for people who were underhoused or homeless,” he said. “Our service is responding to a growing number of calls for mental health concerns and overdoses.
“But these challenges are ones that are disproportionately experienced by those who do not have secure shelter.”
The Master Plan calls for 16 recommendations, including the proposed relocation of three stations — Bright’s Grove, Thedford and Grand Bend — and establishing a new station in Camlachie.
“While it may seem like there would be a reduction in service to some areas as a result of relocating stations, the Master Plan proposals provide for increased redundancy for these areas, which will provide an enhancement in emergency response coverage, rather than a loss,” the document adds.
The Master Plan also recommends increasing ambulance service by 36 hours (three additional daytime ambulances) in order to “significantly improve emergency coverage and response times in your communities and throughout the County.”
Other recommendations include a Lambton EMS re-branding, and exploring the possibility of converting non-ambulance vehicles to electric vehicles.
To view the master plan presentation, see below: