Our History

Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. was in incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in July, 1964 as a membership corporation, sponsored and organized by citizens of the community.

The first ambulance owned by the Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps was a 1951 Cadillac purchased for $125 by Mr. Richard French and former Peekskill Fire Chief, Charles Olah, and donated to the new ambulance squads.

On January 15, 1965 the volunteers were trained and ready to receive calls. At first the ambulance was parked outside the old Peekskill Hospital and crew members spent duty hours in the cramped and dirty confines of the boiler room.

Line Officers
Chief
Steve Sniffen 7511
Captain
Andrew Grant 7512
Lieutenant
  Candace Mercado 7513
Sergeant
Justin Hayes 7514
Elizabeth Lapadula 7515

Corporate Officers
President
Fran Deak
Vice President
Karilyn Colon
Treasurer
Betty Agosto

Board Members
Corresponding Secretary
Daniel Kashtan
Recording Secretary
Elizabeth LaPadula​ 
Additional Members
Richard Strang
Patrick Clarke
Brendan Pogue
Steven Roberts

Operations

All members of Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps (PCVAC) are volunteers. We have roughly 60 active riding members, which includes adults, high school students and college students.

PCVAC is a 24/7 agency which primarily responds to medical emergencies within the City of Peekskill. Other areas surrounding Peekskill are considered part of our district which include Continental Village and Bear Mountain Bridge, along with the goat trail. 

We can also be dispatched on mutual aid to other districts such as Cortlandt Manor, Mohegan, Yorktown and Buchanan. This happens when other districts are unable to respond or need additional resources. 

We are dispatched by 60 Control, which is a division of the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services. When PCVAC is dispatched, 60 Control will sound our pagers and fire horns. Members that are on duty on that particular day will respond to the call. However, there are times when either we get an additional call or the duty crew is unavailable. When this happens, members can also respond from their homes in their personal operated vehicles. A tone gets transmitted through members radios signalling that a full crew is needed to respond.

A crew is composed of a driver and at least one New York State Certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). Crews are usually assigned a shift. Our shifts consist of 6 am to 12 pm, 12 pm to 6 pm, 6 pm to midnight, and midnight to 6 am. However, some of our dedicated members usually pull overlapping duty shifts. 

Most of our patients are transported to Hudson Valley Hospital. However, there are some occasions in which our patients' conditions exceed the capabilities of Hudson Valley, so we will transport to the other hospitals, which include Phelps Memorial Hospital and Westchester Medical Center.