Lambton County paramedics won't respond to 'non-emergency calls' starting Saturday

County of Lambton paramedics will not be responding to "non-emergency calls" starting Saturday at 12:01 a.m., after what they call months of "stalled negotiations."

Nearly 150 paramedics will be working under the essential service agreement.

Those non-emergency calls include patient transfers between hospital and home, non-urgent transfers between hospitals and scheduled specialist appointments.

The issue at the centre of the negotiations with County of Lambton Emergency Medical Services is providing benefits to paramedics who take an early retirement until they reach 65.

"A lot of the stresses of the job, both physically and mentally, often lead to paramedics retiring early," said Corey Johnson, head of strategic communications with Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare.

He said the "bridging of benefits" is common across a lot of paramedic units in the province. 

These paramedics cover Bridgen, Corunna, Forest, Grand Bend, Petrolia, Sarnia, Brights Grove, Thedford and Watford.

Johnson said about 30 attended the Lambton County council meeting Oct. 3 to ask their employer to return to the negotiations.

A new bargaining date has been set for Nov. 15.