History
The Katonah Bedford Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps (KBHVAC) was founded in 1963 as the Katonah Lions Ambulance Corps. The Katonah Fire Department donated a 1947 Cadillac ambulance and enabled members to respond to 16 calls during our first year of operation.
In October 1964, the Corps purchased a newer ambulance, which was housed in a local barn. Three years later, we purchased our current property from the Town of Bedford and built a small garage that became our base of operations. In 1968, we began communicating with the Bedford Police Department via one radio installed in our ambulance.
Our service became larger and more sophisticated throughout the seventies. A new radio and pager communications system was established, membership doubled in size, and a second ambulance was purchased to handle the emergencies of a growing population.
Our first ambulance garage Our current facility
In 1980, the name of the Corps was officially changed to its present designation. In the same year, the Town of Bedford developed an emergency medical response system that included the police emergency unit, our ambulance, the Katonah Fire Department Rescue truck and an ambulance from Bedford Village Fire Department.
Donated labor and materials created a real home for KBHVAC in 1987. The new building housed two fully equipped ambulances and a center for community CPR courses and first aid training.
Our 1986 Ford ambulance
In 1988 the Corps became a New York State Certified Ambulance agency and new rules governed our personnel and equipment. The ambulances began carrying defibrillators and were able to integrate the police emergency service units into an early defibrillation team response – the first such program in the state.
Westchester EMS is our Advanced Life Support partner
Throughout the nineties, our number of patients increased dramatically. The Department of Health created new protocols and our ambulances began carrying additional interventions for cardiac, allergic and asthmatic emergencies. The 21st century brought additional levels of care into practice when Westchester County mandated the use of paramedics for calls requiring advanced life support.
KBHVAC now responds to over 900 emergency medical calls annually. Our current building has a large meeting and training space, along with officers’ quarters and a member lounge. Three ambulances are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We are proud to have grown alongside our community.
