NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins Marks National First Responders Day, Unveiling New Ambulance For EMS in Ardsley

(Ardsley, NY) – Wednesday marked National First Responders Day, and NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins unveiled a new ambulance for the Ardsley-Secor Volunteer Ambulance Corps (ASVAC). ASVAC members and village and town officials thanked the Senate Majority Leader for her hard work to secure $260,000 in State funding to help the volunteer ambulance corps purchase the new, state of the art ambulance.

Ardsley Mayor Nancy Kaboolian, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, and ASVAC Captain, Greg Khitrov were among those who gathered at the Ambulance Corps office. They said the new ambulance would aid volunteer members in responding to emergencies more safely and quickly. The Senate Majority Leader noted the importance of securing this funding, as seconds are always precious in a potentially life and death situation.

“Our volunteer EMS are putting others before themselves, and they needed this ambulance to respond to emergencies quickly and help save lives,” said NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “This is a busy ambulance corps who responds to about 700 calls a year and had an ambulance that was 18-years-old previously. It was outdated and routinely breaking down. With this new ambulance, members can simply focus on the individuals who need their help. This State funding was a well spent investment that will help our community ten-fold during this pandemic and for years to come.”

The Senate Majority Leader went on to recognize the selfless members of the Ardsley-Secor Volunteer Ambulance Corps by declaring it National First Responders Day in New York State. Stewart-Cousins presented Cpt. Khitrov with a proclamation to show her gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

“We have 33 members, including 15 highly trained EMTs, who receive no pay to do this job, and we are lucky to have a supporter in Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins who recognizes our efforts,” said Ardsley-Secor Volunteer Ambulance Corps Captain, Greg Khitrov. “The new ambulance will help us do our job that much better in the community we serve, and we thank the Senator for making this happen.”

“Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins recognized the need for our emergency workers to have appropriate and necessary equipment to service our village and our mutual aid communities,” said Ardsley Mayor Nancy Kaboolian. “ASVAC desperately needed this new ambulance because their old one was no longer safe to drive and too costly to maintain. It’s important to remind people that ASVAC is entirely volunteer, and in this time of COVID-19, when our first responders are on the front lines, it is vital they have the adequate equipment that the Senator’s funding has provided.”

“We thank Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins for this new ambulance,” said Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. “With the combination of our dedicated volunteers and this ambulance, it’s a great day for the Town of Greenburgh, as the ambulance corps serves unincorporated Greenburgh and the village.”

ASVAC responds to accidents or emergencies in the village of Ardsley and all mutual calls in neighboring villages in the town of Greenburgh. Members are often on the scene of vehicle accidents and medical emergencies like heart attacks, drunk drivers, or overdoses on the New York State Thruway, Saw Mill River Parkway, and Interstate 287. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ambulance corps’ calls increased two-fold in March and April, as they responded more to assisted living facilities and seniors in their homes.

The department is expected to begin using the ambulance in mid-November, once all the members have completed a simulated driving course on it.