A Proud History, 1939 - Present

Most of Rockland was still rural in 1939 when a group of young men gathered and formed the Rockland Emergency Ambulance Corps, the predecessor of Nyack Community Ambulance Corps. In October of 1939, the organization changed its name to Nyack Community Ambulance Corps (ncac).

Our first Ambulance was a used 1925 Franklin purchased for fifty dollars. Our service area encompassed Blauvelt, Orangeburg, Tappan, Sparkill, Palisades, Grandview, Nanuet, Camp Shanks, The Nyacks, Valley Cottage-Congers, Rockland Lake and West Nyack. In those years, the corps handled an average 21 calls a month and 560 miles monthly.

In 1941, Violet Doerzaph became the first women member of NCAC and the first female ambulance worker in New York State. As the population of the service area increased a new ambulance was needed.

In 1948 a brand new Cadillac ambulance was delivered at a cost of $6,637.23. The corps still did not have a “home”; in 1947 the corps purchased a parcel of land for $750.00. Plans were drawn up, a mortgage for $10,000 was obtained and the first meeting in the new building on Sixth and Midland was held on July 14,1949.

That year the corps responded to over 600 calls and traveled over 12,000 miles. Since that time there have been three building renovations to accommodate the growing membership and fleet of emergency vehicles. As the years went on, new ambulance corps were founded and our service area was divided.

Today, the corps responds to over 1600 calls to duty. NCAC has three Ambulances, One BLS fly car, Two Electric Cars and Two Mountain Bikes. All of these vehicles are equipped with the necessary medical equipment to provide the necessary care to our patients. NCAC has responded heroically to large-scale emergencies such as the school bus-train accident in Valley Cottage, the Brinks robbery in Nyack, Tallman Towers fire and the Nyack Water taxi accident.

The corps has never been too busy to respond to less dramatic calls though. Just as we did sixty years ago, we are ready to help our residents and will continue to for many more years to come. Every year, we continue to attend medical seminars and train ourselves to provide the highest standard of care to our friends, neighbors and relatives. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please contact us at (845) 358-4824.