Cleveland aims to have 25 ambulances tending to patients during the day and 21 ambulances on the streets at night by the first quarter of 2018, according to cleveland.com.
City officials presented a proposal to Cleveland City Council Sept. 18 to purchase four ambulance vehicles. Officials said the council previously approved the purchase of five other vehicles, which are in the process of production, according to the report.
City officials also said three new ambulance bases will be built across the city.
The increase in ambulances is a direct result of the increase in 911 phone calls during the past 15 years, officials told cleveland.com. In 2000, Cleveland Emergency Medical Services received 85,000 emergency calls and transported 50,000 patients to area hospitals. However, this year, officials expect Cleveland EMS to take approximately 120,000 calls and transport between 75,000 patients and 80,000 patients.