Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC) is the world's first non-profit, minority- run, volunteer ambulance corps, founded in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York in 1988 by James Robinson. BSVAC- (pron. Beesvac) was established organically in response to the lack of city wide first aid services coming to the area. In 1988 James "Rocky" Robinson and col. Victor Perez started the corps in response to lackluster services in the area. Although the majority of all homicides in New York City occur within the confines of this neighborhood, BSVAC remains the dominant ambulance service.

Programs

BSVAC is reported to respond to emergency calls with an average response time of less than four minutes.

BSVAC has established a neighborhood first aid center.

BSVAC has a Youth Corps program that provides CPR, first aid and basic emergency medical training to teens and young adults. A program for younger children, called the Trauma Troopers, has also been developed by BSVAC.

BSVAC has reached out to other minority communities, from Harlem, New York to Los Angeles, California, providing emergency medical training and assistance in setting up programs.

Awards

BSVAC has received the Robin Hood Foundation Hero of the Year Award, New York City Hero Award, American Institute for Public Service Jefferson Award, Thousand Points of Light Award (awarded by President George H.W. Bush), and the Maxwell House Hero Search Award.