In an effort to serve the growing community of Parrish, a new ambulance service has been added to the area.

This week, the county placed a 24-hour ambulance at the Parrish Fire Station off of U.S. 301 North. This eliminates the need for one to come from nearby Ellenton and Palmetto in the event of an emergency.

  • New 24/hour ambulance service in Parrish off U.S. 301 N
  • Ambulance expected to reduce response times by 10-20 minutes
  • County EMS averages 170 to 180 calls per day

“With having this new unit, it will cut down on response times tremendously,” said Ashley Robinson, a Charge Paramedic with Manatee County EMS. “When we’re talking about life and death situations, we want to get there as soon as we can, just to help that person.”

Robinson said having an ambulance here should reduce response times by as much as 10 to 20 minutes.

“I’m really excited about the new unit because it will help us out with the number of people that are coming to our community,” she said.

County commissioners approved the new ambulance unit as part of this year’s budget, recognizing the need for EMS to improve response times in Manatee’s fastest growing area.

Alise Rife, who lives in Parrish and works down the road at PJ’s Sandwich shop, said she's happy to see the addition.

“It is such a relief to know if there is an emergency we don’t have to wait for an ambulance from a neighboring town somewhere,” she said.

The new ambulance is already out on the road and being used when needed.

Public Safety Director Bob Smith said the Parrish Fire District has been “very welcoming” and made changes at the firehouse to accommodate the new ambulance unit.

"There’s a huge benefit to having an EMS unit located with a fire department,” he said. “EMS and fire personnel will train, work and respond together so everything operates much more efficiently. We’ll be one step closer to getting ahead of the growth in that area.”

Manatee County EMS averages 170 to 180 calls a day.

The new ambulance cost the county more than $400,000 and it was covered by public safety impact fees.