ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Residents who require emergency medical transport in Odessa will soon notice changes to how their ambulance bills are handled.

Starting Oct. 1, the City of Odessa will transition its emergency medical services billing from an in-house operation to Emergicon, a third-party specialized medical billing company.

Odessa Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Daniel Chavez said the shift comes as rising call volumes have stretched city resources beyond capacity."We've gotten so busy that the demand has outgrown what we're able to serve our citizens," Chavez said.