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The mission of the Richmond Ambulance Authority is to provide the patients it serves and the residents of Richmond with emergency and non-emergency ambulance service by practicing clinical excellence with superb response time performance while maintaining its commitment to economic efficiency and minimal tax subsidization. In 1991, after much discussion and examination, the Richmond City Council and the city manager decided to implement an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that placed the patient first and guaranteed its performance to the City's residents. With the approval of the General Assembly, the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) was created with the requirement that it meet both stringent response performance and exacting clinical standards. Richmond Ambulance Authority provides EMS coverage to approximately 62 square miles serving a day-time population of over 1,000,000 and a night-time population of about 200,000 people. Some of the diverse services offered by Richmond Ambulance Authority, in addition to providing Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support Services, are a Paramedic Bike Team, several community service oriented programs such as our Explorer Post, the Medic Assist Program, CPR classes, LifeSaver Ambulance Membership Plan and many other programs, which directly benefit our local community. We are one of the busiest (per capita) systems in the nation. The Authority responds to approximately 50,000 calls per year, or 135 calls per day. We transport approximately 110 patients per day. Our system is extremely active compared with other cities of our size. Our emergency response times are among the fastest in the nation. Prior to 1991, ambulance response times throughout Richmond were not only slow; they were different according the areas in the City. Today, RAA ambulances are on the scene of life threatening emergencies in less than 8 minutes and 59 seconds in more than 90% of all responses.