Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps Eyes Bayside Expansion

GLEN OAKS, QUEENS — The Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps may start servicing the Bayside area as soon as January.

The group has secured approval from the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council and is awaiting authorization from the New York State Department of Health to officially expand to Bayside, representatives said at a Tuesday night meeting of the Bayside Hills Civic Association.

Jerry Gelbard, the chief of operations, said the team of volunteer emergency medics is likely to start operations in early 2021.

Getting an expansion certificate from the Department of Health, the final step in the process, takes about 30 days, according to Henry Ehrhardt, the group's president.

The Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps has three ambulances that can respond to medical emergencies and also offers CPR and first-aid trainings, according to its website.

“We’re more than just medical emergencies … we do a lot of class, events, demonstrations,” Treasurer and Board Chair Dave Meketansky said. “What we’ve been doing in Glen Oaks, we’re really excited to bring that to Bayside."