The Richmond Ambulance Authority has proven once again just how well it performs for residents.

The RAA has become the first U.S. ambulance service to be named six times as an Accredited Center for Excellence for its dispatch services.

RAA received the award for the sixth consecutive time from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. The ACE award is the organization’s highest distinction for 911 emergency communications services.

RAA first received the IAED designation in 2001 and has successfully maintained it ever since.

“This honor is a reflection of the dedication to excellence and customer service in our communications center,” said Chip Decker, CEO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. 

“In an emergency situation, life-saving begins on the phone,” said Danny Garrison, a veteran RAA dispatcher who directs communication services.

“We are particularly excited about this award because it acknowledges the dedicated efforts of our dispatchers, who provide a calming and reassuring voice to citizens in an extreme moment of need,” he said.

RAA received its latest ACE award for implementing and complying with the Medical Priority Dispatch System, the most widely used dispatch protocol that enables dispatchers to help people to clear airways, restore breathing, stop bleeding, assist with childbirth and handle other emergencies before trained emergency personnel arrive.

Kim Rigden, IAED’s associate director of accreditation, said that RAA is only the second ambulance operation in the world and the first in the United States to be accredited six times, “an incredible accomplishment.”