Serving Community is Family Tradition for PVAC Captain

Kelli Conley has been surrounded by volunteers her whole life.

"My dad has been a firefighter for 35 years, my mom has been in the ambulance corps for 24," revealed the current captain, who took over the reigns from her mother Gail Wind in January. "It's kind of like a family thing."

Conley, 30, has been a member of the Ambulance Corps, which serves Pleasantville and Thornwood, since she was 15, and has been both a lieutenant and captain in the past.

She said she enjoys helping people and working with the 50 or so PVAC volunteers, each of whom are asked to be on call 34 hours per month.

And Conley said new volunteers are always welcome.

"We're always looking," she said. "You can just walk in off the street and say you want to join. When an EMT class comes up, we sign you up and help train you."

As captain, Conley stops by the now Thornwood-based PVAC headquarters at least once a day to make sure everything is in working order.

PVAC previously operated out of a Marble Avenue building, which it outgrew when a new ambulance would not fit in the garage a year ago.

While Conley said PVAC is the busiest volunteer ambulance corps department in the area (it received 107 calls in August), she still likes to find time to give back and partner with the community.

This week, for example, PVAC to aid Schoharie County in upstate New York, which was badly damaged by Irene a few weeks back.

While responders upstate sought ambulance and fire truck assistance, "We are just so busy on our own, I couldn't send an ambulance up," Conley explained.

Instead, "I got in contact with a firefighter from up there and said we'll do a drive and asked, 'What do you guys need?'"

This week, and all day tomorrow, supplies including water, gloves and other clothing and cleaning supplies are being collected at the former PVAC building on Marble Avenue.

Conley said donations have been slow so far, but she hopes to continue collecting donations as the department did after Hurricane Katrina.

This weekend, the ambulances are being cleaned up for the Westchester County parade. The department also participates in the annual Ragamuffin Parade in Pleasantville and offers free blood pressure screenings at .

Despite the busy schedule, "We're a family," said Conley. "We fight like a family, but my best friends are all from here."

If you would like to donate to the PVAC supply drive, bring to the building at 48 Marble Ave. on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.