What happens when you call 911?

County Dispatch listens to what the problem is and makes a decision to send Police, Fire and/or EMS. For New Castle, there are 2 types of EMS that may be sent in response to a 911 call: BLS (Basic Life Support) or ALS (Advanced Life Support). CVAC is a BLS service, which means we have EMTs and we can transport a patient to an Emergency Room in our ambulances.

What does ALS (Advanced Life Support) mean?

ALS service means Paramedics from WEMS will be there, but they do not transport patients. The towns of Northern Westchester as a group hire the Paramedics. Residents in the towns of Northern Westchester, including New Castle, pay a portion of the cost of ALS service in their taxes.

How does CVAC get paid if taxes don't support it?

CVAC is a 501(c)(3) organization. We rely on donations from our friends and neighbors to support us in serving the community. We also have a claim service that bills a patient's health insurance, if they pay for ambulance service. In addition to maintaining our ambulances, we buy medical supplies and uniforms, educate our EMTs and other staff, provide training for local organizations... the list goes on.

Where does CVAC transport patients? Can patients request a certain hospital?

CVAC can only transport patients to an Emergency Room, not to Urgent Care or Doctors' Offices. We transport to the closest appropriate hospital. Generally, this means Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt Kisco, Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, or Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, depending on the patient's condition. We will not usually go to hospitals that are further away, because the longer it takes us to get a patient to a hospital, the longer it is before we are back in town to cover the next 911 call.

What happens if CVAC is out with a patient and another 911 call comes in?

We have a robust Mutual Aid system. This means that if our crew is unable to respond to a 911 call, County Dispatch will call a neighboring Ambulance Corps to cover us. We also provide Mutual Aid for neighboring towns if their crews are unable to respond to calls in their district.

Where is CVAC?

We aren't very visible, but we're always there to help if you need it. Our headquarters are at 233 North Greeley Avenue, down past the Chappaqua Post Office.