Known for their quick and compassionate care, residents have viewed the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps as a reliable staple in the community since 1963. The 501(c)(3) non-profit responds to around 450 calls on average every year, with 2024 ending with 502 calls across the Irvington school district and other neighboring River Towns from people requiring emergency medical services.
Often, residents associate IVAC with the Irvington Fire Department and the Irvington Police Department, which are both funded by local taxes. It may come as a surprise to some that IVAC is entirely run by donations and volunteers.
Lucas Isola, chief officer of IVAC and an advanced EMT, has been involved for 12 years after joining as an Irvington High School student back in 2003. Now living in Tarrytown with his own family, Isola sees IVAC as a full-time commitment, with his personal vehicle even certified by the New York State Department of Health to be fully equipped for calls.
As a child whose parents emigrated from Argentina in the 1980s and moved to Irvington from NYC in the early 90s, Isola is always trying to give back to the community that raised him. “There’s usually your work life and then your personal life, and so this is sort of my third life that I’ve developed, and I think it’s been really wonderful socially and to be involved in the village.” said Isola, whose main mission is to raise awareness and funding for outdated equipment including power load stretchers, cardiac monitors and defibrillators, and digital as well as encrypted mobile radios. Isola and his team have been using these same devices for over 10 years, with the most expensive being the defibrillators, which cost $60,000 to replace and are used to intervene during heart attacks. These items are essential for saving lives and keeping a patient’s condition from worsening while en route to the hospital.
Although the corps is grateful to have begun receiving help from the Village of Irvington in 2024, IVAC still has to rely on donations, volunteers and reimbursement from insurance agencies to provide their services. The problem with relying on insurance, Isola mentioned, is that there are many people who aren’t covered and still require medical care. However, the main reason behind IVAC’s needs and restrictions is that New York State does not recognize EMS as being an essential service. This means the government is not required to fund EMS the same way it would fund garbage, water, sewer, police or fire services. If a piece of fire equipment is damaged, Irvington residents pay through taxes to get it replaced. IVAC does not receive the same kind of guaranteed help for their damaged equipment.
“Obviously, people call 911 and they expect if someone’s choking, having an allergic reaction or having a heart attack or stroke, that they’re going to get an ambulance. And they have, due to the dedication of volunteers who basically provide 911 ambulance service,” Isola said. Some of these volunteers are high school students, with the prime example being Isola himself who graduated from Washington Irving High School in 2004. IVAC is always seeking new volunteers, with basic first aid and CPR training provided as a free induction into the team. Active volunteers respond first to treat patients and interact with hospitals, with students having the option to receive up to $6,000 annually for tuition or college loan payments funded by Westchester County.
“We welcome volunteers from pretty much all walks of life,” Isola said. “There have been people who have never been involved in healthcare. They receive all necessary training and it’s a really wonderful thing,” he said before adding that on top of the student benefits, Westchester County offers a property tax discount for volunteers as well.
Besides a stable and vibrant volunteer community, IVAC is the first and only agency in Westchester that has established the AEMT Pilot Program. This program provides an extra toolbox of Advanced EMT level care through rapid response vehicles that can easily rush to scenes while either waiting for paramedics to arrive or when paramedics may not be needed. For example, Irvington EMT’s can provide defibrillation to patients suffering from cardiac arrest before the ambulance gets there, which can potentially save the patient’s life. This feat was accomplished without funding from the village and continues to help Irvington residents every day.
IVAC is especially thankful to the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps who recently donated a large sum for much needed equipment, as well as donating emergency lighting and cargo drawers. And the Village of Irvington donated the Ford Explorer that is used as the VAC’s emergency response vehicle. Isola added that having a network of support between local ambulance corps can only continue to advance emergency services throughout the region.
“I think it’s so important that EMS agencies in Westchester County support each other. At the end of the day, we’re all working to address the same needs for emergency medical services,” Isola said.
- irvingtonvac.org
