Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps

What Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps does

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps (FHVAC) is a private volunteer-run nonprofit emergency medical service founded in 1971 and headquartered at 92-29 Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. The organization delivers free ambulance response to 911 calls and other community emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, serving residents of Forest Hills, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, Corona, Elmhurst, Middle Village, Glendale, and Maspeth. Its core product is volunteer-staffed pre-hospital emergency medical care, supported by a licensed EMT workforce and a fleet that includes a newly acquired Type III ambulance equipped with a power-lift stretcher, cardiac monitoring, enhanced lighting, and climate control.

Operationally, FHVAC runs a self-dispatch model in which its own dispatchers coordinate incoming 911 calls for the coverage area and assign available units and EMT crews in real time, distinguishing it from municipal FDNY/EMS dispatch and most commercial providers. The organization sustains a structured volunteer pipeline through adult recruitment drives (with free EMT certification training assistance for recruits) and a Youth Corps program for ages 14-17 that builds a longer-term talent funnel.

FHVAC generates no revenue from patients; its funding model rests on community donations processed via Square (preset tiers of $25, $50, $100, $250 with optional processing-fee coverage so 100% reaches FHVAC), an annual fundraiser gala ($75 per person or $500 per table of eight), and nominal records request fees ($0.75/page for patients; $50 flat plus 4% processing for attorneys and insurers). It has no external investors, parent company, or institutional backing, and is governed entirely by elected volunteer officers and a board of directors, with the 2026-2027 term led by President Aviv Citron and sworn in by NY State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.

Name

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Legal name

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Website

https://fhvac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps is a volunteer-run nonprofit providing free 24/7 emergency ambulance response to 911 calls for residents of Forest Hills and surrounding Queens neighborhoods in New York City, funded by community donations and an annual gala.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (62191)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• Volunteer ambulance corps
• 911 emergency response
• Community EMS
• EMT training program

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Community donations fund equipment purchases, training, and ambulance maintenance. Donors can choose preset amounts ($25, $50, $100, $250) or enter custom amounts, with option to cover card processing fees so 100% reaches FHVAC.
2. Annual Fundraiser Gala: Annual fundraising event with tickets priced at $75 per person or $500 for a table of eight. Proceeds support FHVAC operations, equipment, and training.
3. Records Request Fees: Patient records released for $0.75 per page (billed after); attorney and insurer requests pay $50 flat fee plus 4% card processing fee at submission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps provides free, 24/7 pre-hospital emergency medical services to Forest Hills and surrounding Queens neighborhoods through a fleet of Type III ambulances staffed entirely by volunteer EMTs. The corps is funded by community donations and supports ancillary programs including a Youth Corps pipeline, EMT certification training assistance, and a paid Patient Care Records Request service for legal and insurance use.

Product overview

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps operates as a single, unified emergency medical service offering free ambulance response to 911 calls and community emergencies 24/7. The core offering is volunteer-run emergency medical services staffed by trained EMTs who respond using the organization's Type III ambulance fleet. Additional services include a Youth Corps program for teenagers (ages 14-17) to learn emergency medical skills, patient care records request services, and donation processing for community support. The organization operates a self-dispatch model and provides EMT certification training assistance for new volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Medical Services (Free 24/7 Ambulance Response) Core offering of FHVAC: free, around-the-clock pre-hospital emergency medical care and ambulance transport delivered to Forest Hills and surrounding Queens neighborhoods via a volunteer-staffed Type III ambulance fleet, dispatched in coordination with the NYC 911 system.
• Patient Care Records Request Paid ancillary service enabling attorneys, insurance carriers, and patients to retrieve official Patient Care Records for legal, claims, and personal use, with per-record pricing that varies by format.
• Volunteer EMT Recruitment and Certification Training Assistance Structured program for adult prospective volunteers that provides recruitment onboarding and assistance with training and state EMT certification, enabling participants to serve as volunteer EMTs for the corps.
• Youth Corps Program Pipeline program for teens aged 14-17 offering structured exposure to EMS and a pathway into adult volunteer EMT service with FHVAC.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of continuous service to the Queens community

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 June 2026NY State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. administered the oath of office to FHVAC's incoming 2026-2027 officers at a ceremony, demonstrating political support and community recognition. While not a formal organizational partnership, this represents a relationship with a government official who is a longtime friend to Forest Hills and steadfast supporter of the volunteer corps.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FDNY EMS: Municipal EMS arm of the New York City Fire Department; the dominant 911 ambulance provider across all five boroughs including FHVAC's coverage area. Comparable service offering (911 ambulance, BLS/ALS) but operates at vastly greater scale and with paid staff.
• American Medical Response (AMR): Largest private ambulance company in the U.S. with national footprint. Comparable core service (911 and interfacility EMS) but operates as a commercial, paid-staff provider rather than a volunteer nonprofit.

Direct peers

• Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance: Volunteer ambulance network serving NYC's Jewish communities. Highly comparable in volunteer-driven, community-funded 911 EMS response across multiple NYC neighborhoods.
• Jamaica Estates Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Volunteer-run EMS organization serving adjacent Queens neighborhoods. Directly comparable as a volunteer-staffed, donation-funded ambulance corps operating in the same borough and regulatory environment.
• St. John Ambulance (USA): Volunteer-driven emergency medical and first aid organization with U.S. presence. Comparable as a nonprofit, volunteer-staffed emergency response entity, though more focused on training and event coverage than 911 ambulance.
• Hicksville Community Ambulance: Volunteer ambulance corps serving Hicksville on Long Island. Comparable in volunteer-staffed, donation-funded EMS model serving a defined suburban community.
• Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Volunteer ambulance organization covering southwestern Queens. Similar nonprofit EMS structure, donation funding, and volunteer-driven dispatch model.
• Central Park Medical Unit: Volunteer EMS provider operating in Manhattan. Comparable as a NYC volunteer ambulance corps providing free pre-hospital care, though with a more centralized geographic focus.
• Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Volunteer ambulance corps serving eastern Queens communities. Closely comparable in operating model (volunteer EMTs, community-funded, 911 response) and borough-level coverage.

Regional players

• Empress EMS: Private ambulance company serving Long Island and parts of the NYC metro. Comparable 911 EMS service but operates on a paid-staff, contract-funded model rather than volunteer donations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fhvac
• Facebookfacebook.com/foresthillsvac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps