About SOAC
The Corps was born at an informal meeting at a local Sparkill restaurant (now the Mountain House) in March 1957, by eight members of the community. The community members had just witnessed a serious auto accident and a significant amount of time pass before an ambulance arrived to provide first aid to the victims and transportation to the hospital. The South Orangetown community did not have its own ambulance service so it relied on ambulance service from Nyack Community Ambulance Corps, which they had provided faithfully since 1939. The community members discussed their concerns and recognized the need for having a community-based volunteer ambulance service located in South Orangetown so they didn't have to rely on ambulances coming from neighboring Towns. After three monthly meetings, the Corps was formally organized in July 1957 and officially chartered by the State of New York as a non-profit membership corporation on September 20, 1957.
South Orangetown Ambulance Corps, located in Rockland County New York, provides ambulance and emergency medical services to the hamlets of Blauvelt, Orangeburg, Palisades, Sparkill, and Tappan in the Town of Orangetown. SOAC responds to other parts of the town, county and to New Jersey as per a mutual aid agreement with our neighbors. SOAC is on call for the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and responds to approximately 2000 emergency medical calls a year. We are a BLS agency and are responsible for all emergency medical transport for the above hamlets. SOAC also provides scheduled stand-by coverage at a wide variety of sporting events and public affairs.
Founding Officers
John Britton, President; Elanor Jahoda, Vice President; Gertrude Keller, Secretary; Joe Cassetta, Treasurer; Otto Rohland, Rudy Keller, Frank Kopac, Leonard Behr, and Richard Spillman, Directors; William Krausser, Captain; Charles Martin, First Lieutenant, and Robert Beasley, Second Lieutenant.