HOME | BVAC

The Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. (BVAC) is the independent not-for-profit emergency ambulance squad of Bergenfield, New Jersey. Serving the Borough of Bergenfield in northern New Jersey since 1941, BVAC provides the highest quality emergency transport and care. BVAC operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and answers over 2,000 calls annually.

How it all works

1. CALL 911

Call 911 to reach the Bergenfield emergency dispatch center.

2. BVAC IS DISPATCHED

Upon receiving a 911 call for a medical emergency, the dispatcher immediately alerts BVAC members via portable radios.

3. BVAC RESPONDS

Depending on the nature and location of the emergency, BVAC members respond to the scene either in their personal vehicles, a BVAC quick response vehicle, and/or a BVAC ambulance.

Direct Response Model

BVAC utilizes a "Direct Response" model whereby some members respond directly to the scene from their homes and some respond to get the ambulance. Instead of the traditional model of all on-duty members assembling at the building and then responding to the call in the ambulance, the "Direct Response" model saves valuable time and has made BVAC one of the fastest EMS agencies in the state.

Community Involvement Saves Lives

Some BVAC members have first-aid equipment in their vehicles that enable them to begin patient care before the ambulance arrives. In mid-2021, a Bergenfield resident initiated a fundraising effort to not only equip all BVAC members with the necessary equipment, but to also provide all members with AEDs, EpiPens, and other lifesaving equipment that had previously been too costly for BVAC to provide. Costing tens of thousands of dollars, these much-needed funds will literally save lives. The equipment is expected to completely roll out by the end of 2021.