Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps A Multi-Cultural Volunteer Ambulance Service and EMT training facility in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC) is the nation’s first minority-run volunteer ambulance corps, founded in 1988 by two EMS workers, Captain James "Rocky" Robinson" and Specialist Joe Perez. For 26 years, "The Vollies" have both saved lives and changed lives in a community disproportionately affected by physical and economic trauma. When BSVAC first began operations, the neighborhood was ravaged by violence related to crack cocaine, and the response time in Bed-Stuy for city ambulances averaged about 30 minutes. Today, BSVAC responds to over 100 emergency calls a month with an average response time of less than 4 minutes. In addition to medical services, BSVAC has worked tirelessly to teach life-saving skills to Bed-Stuy residents and connect them to careers in emergency medicine. To date, over two thousand local residents have been trained through BSVAC CPR, first aid and EMT training programs. While Bed-Stuy has come a long way since the days of BSVAC's founding, the neighborhood still exhibits stark disparities. The rate of felony assaults in Bed-Stuy stood around 5.9 per 1,000 residents in 2013, as compared to 2.4 per 1,000 across the whole city. And in some of the Bed-Stuy census tracts, the median household income is just $19,000, about $33,000 less than the median in New York City as a whole. BSVAC treats gun shot and stabbing wounds every week, and our classroom is constantly packed with residents trying to start secure careers. Despite operating on a shoe-string budget, BSVAC extends its impact beyond Bed-Stuy as well, responding to Ground Zero on 9/11, to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and to Haiti on three separate occasions after the earthquake in 2010.

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11/04/2025

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During these challenging times our city is facing, our Community Council and Youth Explorer’s would like to organize a food drive to support multiple families in our neighborhood.

10/31/2025
Check out this clip with words from our Commanding Officer and our Chief of Field Services.
09/03/2025

Check out this clip with words from our Commanding Officer and our Chief of Field Services.

Stan Steele talks to the unsung heroes of Carnival. The Bed Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been helping victims of violence and those with health issues ...

09/03/2025
HISTORY IN THE MAKING 🔥❤️😎❤️🔥
08/21/2025

HISTORY IN THE MAKING 🔥❤️😎❤️🔥

The change comes as part of a new bill that looks to create a multi-purpose community space.

07/12/2025

Happening now!!!!! The set up is real!!!!

07/07/2025
🎉 💪🏾Happy Juneteenth from the Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps!💪🏾🎉Today, we celebrate freedom, heritage, and...
06/20/2025

🎉 💪🏾Happy Juneteenth from the Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps!💪🏾🎉

Today, we celebrate freedom, heritage, and community strength. As the first multicultural volunteer ambulance corps in the nation, BSVAC proudly carries the spirit of Juneteenth in everything we do—empowering our neighborhoods, saving lives, and standing up for equity in healthcare and beyond.

Juneteenth reminds us that when we come together, we rise greater than ever imagined. And at BSVAC, that’s not just history—it’s our mission every single day.

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Address

New York, NY

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 11:59pm
Tuesday 12pm - 11:59pm
Wednesday 12pm - 11:59pm
Thursday 12pm - 11:59pm
Friday 12pm - 11:59pm
Saturday 12pm - 11:59pm
Sunday 12pm - 11:59pm

Telephone

+17184534617

Website

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