Services

Since its inception, the goal of the Richmond Ambulance Authority has been to provide its community with clinical excellence, while ensuring reliable response times. When our communications center receives a 911 call, emergency medical priority dispatching protocols are followed to ensure the right resources are deployed to each call as quickly as possible. Despite having the highest call volume per capita in the nation, over 50,000 calls annually, our response times have historically been among the fastest in the country.

Our fleet includes dozens of Advance Life Support (ALS) units, Basic Life Support units (BLS), Critical Care units, Polaris specialty ASAP vehicles ideal for responding to calls in difficult terrain, and support vehicles. While responding to calls and getting to our patient’s side during a life-threatening emergency is a top priority and at the core of what we do, the Richmond Ambulance Authority also offers a variety of services for every situation. That includes non-emergency transports, bike medics for events where ambulances cannot maneuver, and medical standbys.

Emergency Responses

The Richmond Ambulance Authority responds to over 50,000 calls annually. Our RAA ambulances are on the scene of life-threatening emergency calls in 8 minutes, 59 seconds or less, 90 percent of the time, despite being one of the busiest EMS systems, per capita, in the country. Our Advanced Life Support (ALS) units are continuously stocked by our logistics department in order to ensure they have all the necessary equipment and resources for each call. Each ambulance has some of the most advanced equipment in the field including high tech stretchers, monitor/defibrillators, and autoresuscitation devices. Our highly trained staff along with state of the art equipment give our patients the best chance for survival. We take pride in being able to offer world class service and resources to our community.

Critical Care Transport

The Richmond Ambulance Authority has designed a cutting-edge Critical Care Unit. It houses a lot of the same equipment used in a Critical Care Hospital. The unit transports people who are critically injured or ill, premature newborns, neurology, respiratory, cancer and burn patients. Some patients require a higher level of care or specialized services that may not be offered at the hospital they are admitted to. Using the Critical Care Unit patients can be transported from those hospitals to other specialized hospitals. The Unit has state of the art safety features, 1 generator with 2 backup inverter power supplies and can lift stretchers and patients up to 1,000 lbs on a specialized hydraulic platform. The unit has a high tech specialty ventilator that can take care of patients all the way down to 3 kilos. It has a CMAC intubation device that can be used for complex intubations. The unit also has the ability to transport ECMO patients along with specialists that may be needed during transport. Having the Critical Care Unit is another way the Richmond Ambulance Authority is able to separate itself from other EMS agencies and deliver world-class care to the people we serve.

Non-Emergency Transport

Non-emergency transports are one of the main responsibilities of the Richmond Ambulance Authority and one of the major commitments we have to the City of Richmond. These transports can range from patients that need continued care such as dialysis, to patients that were treated at a local hospital and need transport back home, to patients who reside or are being treated in the city but need specialized care in another city or state. Non-emergency transports are most often set up through the partnerships RAA has with surrounding hospitals and agencies. Our transport teams have traveled to places as far away as New York City, Ohio, and Florida. During transport, patients are continuously monitored by a provider in the back of an ambulance in order to ensure their well-being. Our non-emergency transports allow us to deliver world-class care, excellent customer service, while also providing a valuable service to local hospitals and our partners in the healthcare industry.

Standbys and Community Event Requests

The Richmond Ambulance Authority works with a variety of businesses and organizations to provide all of the necessary emergency medical services tailored specifically to your event. We have decades of experience and have covered all types of events including music festivals, sporting events, graduation ceremonies as well as a variety of community events. Special Event Coverage rates can vary based on the size and needs of each individual event. In some cases, an event may be classified as a community outreach initiative and RAA will provide its participation free of charge (at the discretion of RAA).

An event can be considered a community outreach initiative if the organizer is not requesting medical standby services. Instead the organizer is requesting RAA’s participation at an event for those in attendance to learn more about RAA, the services we provide, and more about mobile integrated EMS and what sets us apart from traditional EMS systems. An event is determined to be a community outreach initiative at the discretion of RAA.

Medical Standbys and Outreach Initiatives are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you are seeking event coverage please fill out the form below and a representative from RAA will contact you. Submitting a form is not a confirmation that your event will be covered.