PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The City of Port Arthur has a new ambulance service alongside Acadian Ambulance.
City Ambulance Service became active last Friday and will be used to better assist Port Arthur residents in need of emergency care.
Port Arthur Fire Chief Greg Benson announced eight additional ambulances will be added to the city's emergency services.
The new ambulances will cut down the average ambulance wait time from thirty minutes to six minutes, according to Chief Benson.
He says he is confident the extra ambulances will provide better service to the Port Arthur community and ultimately save more lives.
Up to this point Acadian was the only ambulance service assigned to cover all of Port Arthur.
"With emergency services, it's very dynamic. Because you maybe have nothing happen for two hours, then all of a sudden in ten minutes you have three or four incidents that happen… or you have one large incident that requires multiple responses," said Chief Benson.
He says the city has been in desperate need of adding a second ambulance service.
"When you have a medical emergency, time is very critical. And it's very critical that you get the right people there," Chief Benson said.
It didn't take long for City Ambulance Service to get to work once they hit the streets of Port Arthur.
"Literally twenty minutes after they went live, they had their first call," Chief Benson told 12News.
The city has divided emergency service areas into two sections, with major roadways like Griffing Drive and Gulfway serving as a divider.
The eight new City Ambulances will cover one portion of Port Arthur, while Acadian will cover the other half.
"But they will both back each other up in the event that there is no resources when something else happens in that other district," said Chief Benson.
He tells 12News dividing the city in half will give people experiencing an emergency a fighting chance.
"It's going to have a very positive impact on the residents," he said. "The whole intent is to increase the level of service that the residents of Port Arthur are able to get in a timely basis."
Additionally, plans are in motion to add a third ambulance service that would focus primarily on non-emergency transport, according to Chief Benson.