MalVerneVac.com
Title
About
Description
About the MVAC In 1968, a child lay injured on the streets of Malverne, struck by a car and waiting for the Nassau County Police Ambulance to respond. A group of residents who witnessed this scene decided that it should never happen again. With the assistance of the Malverne lions Club, this was the birth of the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The first organizational meeting was in September of 1968. The Corps was chartered by the state of New York on January 29, 1969. The initial medical training consisted of a 30 hour course offered through the American Red Cross and was completed by 18 members on June 14, 1969. Within the next several years, nearly all of the Corps members had advanced to become certified as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). At the time, this training required 81 hours of classroom and practical training and 10 hours of clinical rotations in the hospital. Today, this certification now consists of 225 hours of classroom instruction in addittion to 175 hours of clinical rotations and field internships. The Corps responded to its first call in September 1969 and completed that year with a total of 65 calls. The following year, the Corps’ first full year of operation, the Corps responded to 197 calls. This number has steadily increased over the years. Over the last 10 years, the Corps has averaged [425] calls per year. Through the end of 2004, the Corps has responded to [14,900] calls. In 1977, the Corps implemented two important systems which would define Emergency Medical Services in not only Malverne, but throughout Nassau County and New York State. The first was the incorporation of advanced life support skills in the Corps. This was brought about through the certification of the first group of Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs, now referred to as Emergency Critical Care Technicians or EMT-CCs). This allowed the advanced life saving skills of intravenous therapy, drug administration and cardiac monitoring and defibrillation to be brought directly to the residents of Malverne through the MVAC. To become certified in these skills now requires 180 additional hours of classroom and clinical training beyond the EMT certification. The second system involved the way the Police Department and the Ambulance Corps communicated. In the beginning years, when a call was received, the desk officer at police headquarters would phone the assigned driver of the ambulance who would in turn phone the assigned attendant for that particular tour. This system worked fairly well, however, it was difficult and time consuming to contact additional Corps members should they be required to assist at the scene. In 1977, the Corps, with the assistance of the Village Board and Police Department, initiated a system of home alert receivers. These one-way radio receivers did not require the Corps members to keep their telephone lines open while on their tour of duty (this was long before call-waiting!). It also allowed for all of the Corps members to hear of a call and more could respond. The radio receivers were eventually replaced with one-way portable pagers which allowed for more mobility. Today, each Corps members is issued a pager so that they can be instantly contacted anywhere in the Village. The dedication of our members to our community extends even beyond the Corps. Former and current members include: former and current members of the Malverne Village Board of Trustees; former Mayor of the Village; members of the Village Library Board; members of the Malverne Fire Department; members of the Malverne Police Department; current Malverne Police Chief; current and former instructors with the American Heart Association and American Red Cross; current Director of Health Services for the American Red Cross; and remember that injured child that started it all – she is now a member of the Corps!
The MVAC is always seeking new and dedicated residents to join its ranks. For information on joining, information on CPR classes, or for general information, contact the Corps office at (516)599-1686, leave a message and an officer will get back to you.
