Volunteer EMTs at risk of losing ambulances

A longtime volunteer ambulance company that responds to emergencies in Bed-Stuy is in jeopardy of losing some of its ambulances. Hundreds of volunteers have trained to become EMTs at the Bed-Stuy Volunteer

News 12 Staff

Jan 8, 2015, 4:55 AM

Updated 3,583 days ago

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A longtime volunteer ambulance company that responds to emergencies in Bed-Stuy is in jeopardy of losing some of its ambulances.
Hundreds of volunteers have trained to become EMTs at the Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corporation on Greene Avenue for more than 25 years.
Two of the company's volunteers were among the first on scene last month when NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot and killed. They performed CPR and brought Officer Ramos to the hospital in their ambulance.
The group runs on city funds and private donations. At the moment, the group says it can only afford insurance for one of its four ambulances.
Commander Rocky Robinson started the corporation back in 1988, when the volunteers responded to calls by running on foot. He says no matter what, he will never close.
Robinson says he'll go back to responding to calls on foot if he has to, but says it would be a great disservice to the community if it came down to that.