Ambulance Corps

Serving the Township of River Vale in northern Bergen County since 1957, the corps is comprised of approximately 20 volunteers- students, retirees, homemakers, corporate professionals, and more! We staff 2 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances, and are available to respond to emergency calls around the clock.

We never bill for our services -- they are free! As a completely volunteer organization, we rely on the generosity of the residents and visitors of River Vale during our fund drive to help us pay for supplies, ambulance upkeep, and building maintenance.

The River Vale Volunteer Ambulance Corps does not accept donations of medical equipment, nor do we loan out equipment.  However, the Washington Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps happily accepts all donations of medical equipment, and they loan out equipment to all residents in need.  If you have a donation or need to borrow medical equipment, please contact them at:

Washington Twsp. Ambulance Corps.
 354 Hudson Avenue, Township of Washington, NJ 07676
 Phone: (201) 664-3784

New and Newer: Agnieszka Piotrowska (right) the newest member of the River Vale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, makes up the cot after her first-ever call. Piotrowska just joined the Corps and is considered an observer, a status she’ll hold until she completes her EMT training. Showing her the ropes is the Corps newest EMT, Vincent Coglianese. After completing his training, he went from observer to probationary member, which means he can use his newly learned skills under the supervision of his crew chief.

moving up

Thank you Curt Schleier for 50 Years of Service with the RVVAC in 2023! He is pictured here receiving a Hometown Hero Award from Congressman Josh Gottheimer after being nominated by his fellow Corps members!

C Schleier award 23

Our certified American Heart Association BLS instructors teach CPR classes for the public during the year. The courses are targeted for different audiences, cover different topics, and have different completion times. For more information, contact us at 201-664-1289 or email us at rvvac@yahoo.com


  1. Join Today!
  2. Our History 50s-60s
  3. Our History 70s-80s
  4. Our History 90s-Now

Joining the River Vale Volunteer Ambulance Corps is easy. Whether you are a seasoned EMS veteran or a total newcomer to the field, there is a place on the Corps for you.

Membership is open to community residents 16 years of age or older. You should be in reasonable physical condition so that you are able to perform typical EMS duties including providing medical attention, lifting, climbing stairs, bending, and stooping.

We provide in-depth training for our members. This includes CPR, EMT, blood-borne pathogens, and monthly accredited in-house continuing medical education. Uniforms are also provided.

Each member is expected to be available for duty one designated day or evening per week (12 hours) and one weekend day per month (24 hours). While on duty, members go about their normal activities, and respond to the station when there's an emergency call. As such, members are expected to have a reasonable response time to the Corps building. While most of our members reside in River Vale, some live on the fringes of neighboring towns such as Westwood.

 To find out more, please call our membership hotline at 201-664-1289 or fill out the mini-application.