All will be well until about 9pm – mostly cuts and minor injuries from the daytime beach crowd.

A few early domestic disputes will likely account for a steady increase in workload after that.

But it’s from midnight until 2am that the NSW Ambulance tradition of rostering on extra paramedics for New Year’s Eve pays off.

That’s when the fights and the drunken accidents typically place the service under unrivaled demand, accounting for 424 incidents – one very 16.5 seconds – in NSW last year.

“[Revelers] might wander off in front of cars or get their capabilities mixed up with their abilities,” said Inspector Rees, Illawarra duty operations manager.

“We find intoxicated people who have fallen asleep beside the road or even on the road.

“[Call-outs] peter out a little bit between three, four, five o’clock, but then it starts again.

“After a big night on the grog, they go down the the beach, get sunburnt or get into difficulty in the water. 

“After a while you see the pattern.”

With fine weather forecast and New Year’s Eve falling on a Thursday night, emergency services workers say there is the potential for their biggest night of the year to become particularly raucous this time around.

“This year is forecast for that perfect combination,” Insp Rees said. 

“People have got Thursday to prepare, then Saturday and Sunday to recover before going back to work.

“We get a very low percentage of medical issues on New Year’s Eve – it’s all alcohol-related. Because we respond to so many jobs, we just roll from one job to the next.”

NSW Ambulance has rostered on 46 paramedics in the Illawarra, which is usually serviced by about 34. 

In the lead-up, the service issued a plea for revelers to party responsibly. 

“Plan your journey home,” Insp Rees said.

“Look after yourself and your friends, eat a meal before drinking, act responsibly and drink plenty of water to hydrate. Enjoy the night, but stay safe.”

NSW Ambulance is also encouraging people to wear sunscreen and carry medication such as inhalers.