Happy Birthday: Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps Turns 50

The Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps (YVAC) is celebrating 50 years of service in town. 

Despite the various changes throughout the years, one thing hasn't changed at all – the ," Yorktown Ambulance Volunteer Corps Captain Rich Cariello told Patch.

"From our first member to our newest member there is a tremendous sense of pride," Cariello said. "The satisfaction and fulfillment is difficult to express in words. We have touched many lives, saved lives and brought life into the world. It is service to those in dire need, a service deeply felt."

YVAC's story began five decades ago when a group of local resident felt there was a need for a volunteer ambulance service in Yorktown. They approached the Yorktown Kiwanis Club and formed the Yorktown Kiwanis Volunteer Ambulance Corps in March 1963.

A local car dealer donated a used Chrysler ambulance which was housed in a barn in the rear of Clark's Funeral Home. A new ambulance was purchased in May 1963 and it was housed at an old fruit and vegetable stand on Route 202 and Springhurst Street.

In 1965, the corps disassociated itself from the Kiwanis club and became what it is now known as the Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. In 1970, work began on building its current headquarters, located on Route 202 and Loretta Street, and volunteers moved in 1972.

"Fifty years ago, dispatching to the duty crew was done by telephone," Cariello said. "The crew would then respond to headquarters to pick up the ambulance. Crews had first aid training and the task was a 'load and go' technique."

A lot has changed since then.

"Crews are dispatched by radio with advanced communication equipment," Cariello said. "The training has increased to keep up with all the newest evidence-based practices."

All YVAC members must complete Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training within two years of joining. Some members advance their training further and become advanced EMTs.

The Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps owns three ambulances with state of the art technology and equipment. There are several instructors who teach CPR classes to community members and students. Volunteers also sponsor a blood bank several times a year and offer a loan closet where residents can loan wheelchairs, walkers, canes and more – all free of charge.

The Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps has had the honor of many 'firsts.'

"We were the first volunteer ambulance corps in the county to become New York State certified," Cariello said. "This assured that at least one EMT is on every call and all required equipment was carried on the ambulances."

He said YVAC was the first volunteer ambulance corps in Northern Westchester to carry and be trained in the use of military anti-shock trousers (MAST). It was also the first volunteer ambulance corps in Northern Westchester to be trained in the use of and carry defibrillators.

YVAC is an independent organization that gets no financial support from the town.

"We own our building and ambulances," Cariello said. "YVAC continues to bring the latest and newest technologies to the people of Yorktown. YVAC is proud to maintain the highest of standards to ensure that the people of Yorktown have a highly skilled, trained professional to their side at every emergency."

Cariello said all of YVAC's members are all volunteers and that is something they are "extremely proud of."

"It is a true passion to be that volunteer who is ready and waiting to answer that 911 emergency call," he said. 

The Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a dinner and dance night on April 6 at the Ceola Manor in Jefferson Valley. 

To read more about what Cariello calls Yorktown's best kept secret, click here.

To become a member of the Yorktown Ambulance Volunteer Corps call Rich Cariello at 914-469-5197. You can also fill out an application in person at their headquarters on Loretta Street or fill out their online application by clicking here. 

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