Crown Heights Volunteer Ambulance Corps grows

Many NYC neighborhoods have volunteer ambulance corps.    In general the organizations are not authorized to respond to 911 calls, but are staffed by NYS certified EMTs.   The organizations are funded through a combination of donations, fund raisers and politician member items.    The corps help take some of the load off of 911 contracted ambulances.

Park Slope has such an entity, the Park Slope Volunteer Ambulance Corps:   http://www.psvac.org/psvac/

Crown Heights does too, Hatzalah:   http://hatzalah.ch/

Many people, however, do not realize that these neighborhoods do not have fixed geographic boundaries.    Hence, unlike your local pizza place, it is difficult for them to tell you that you are outside of their catchment area.    They have to document each call that they receive, and document why responding to said call was not appropriate.    In casual language, appropriate reasons for not responding include:   Larger emergency than they can handle, event that does not require an ambulance or EMTs, location that is "significantly" outside of their area, and/or no availability.

Likewise, one does not have to be of a "fixed" identity to receive services from Hatzalah:

"Although, the organization was established by members of the Crown
Heights Jewish community, the volunteer members respond to medical
emergencies to any member of the neighborhood, without regard to race,
religion or ethnic background of the individual in need. Many non-Jews
have come to respect the professional skills of Hatzalah volunteers and
are quick to call the group when a medical emergency occurs. Hatzalah
unlike the city 911 emergency medical technical teams, does not charge
for its services. That is perhaps one reason why many people who lack
adequate health insurance or have limited budgets, prefer to call
Hatzalah first."

http://www.hatzalah.ch/?page_id=2

Their emergency number is (718)
387-1750.


The organization is large enough that it now operates four ambulances, distributed throughout the area their volunteers live:

"Hatzalah of Crown Heights recently took delivery of its newest ambulance, which will be the 4th one in its growing fleet.  This new ambulance is joining their three other ambulances and a ‘fly-car,’ which stand at the ready for any emergency medical need.

Citing the growing community and additional volunteers who have
joined the ranks of Hatzalah, administrators saw the need to add an
additional ambulance to its fleet.   The new ambulance will be parked in front of Empire Shteibel off of Brooklyn Avenue, and will enable volunteers who live in the southwestern
part of the neighborhood to get to an ambulance quicker.

Two other ambulances are parked in front of 770, while another is
parked in the Hatzalah garage on Schenectady Avenue and Carroll Street."

http://crownheights.info/communal-matters/503464/hatzalah-adds-4th-ambulance-to-its-fleet/?utm_campaign=hatzalah-adds-4th-ambulance-to-its-fleet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

follow up press:

http://thebrooklynink.com/2015/11/18/54377-inside-brooklyns-orthodox-ambulance-corps/

You know in the over 20 years I've had an office in Crown Heights I've never seen a Hatzalah ambulance north of Eastern Parkway so that may be one of their boundaries.

That may change with increased calls from that area.

Crown Heights is about to get a volunteer ambulance squad that is by and for women.