Irvington Alerts
From the Mayor’s Desk…February 18, 2025
Irvington is fortunate to have dedicated emergency service responders in its Fire Department (“IFD”) and Volunteer Ambulance Corps (“IVAC”). They are remarkable people who protect Irvington and nearby communities often without public recognition. I am writing to thank IFD and IVAC members for their service and to ask each of you to help these organizations if you can. Both IFD and IVAC are seeking new members and, if you meet the eligibility requirements and are interested in the benefits described below, please consider serving at whatever level you feel comfortable.
Member Requirements
Members of the IFD must be at least 16 years of age and reside in the Irvington Village or School District or work in the Village. No driver’s license is required. Volunteers willing to devote any amount of time regularly will be considered. Firefighters meet four times a month for training, maintenance and administrative purposes. Members can take a variety of free courses at the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services in Valhalla (”WCDES”). Members are expected to respond to a percentage of calls. For those seeking to become an interior firefighter, IFD will pay for training requirements. These include a Firefighter 1 course of approximately 150 hours offered by the WCDES at various times (days, nights and weekends) and a CPR/AED certification course.
IVAC members must be at least 16 years of age. Basic first aid and CPR training (provided free in a few hours by IVAC) is all that is needed to start. For those interested in advancing their knowledge, EMT training and other certification courses are available with state reimbursement for those who pass certifying exams. If you are interested in driving the ambulance, a clean driver’s license is required and free Emergency Vehicle Operator training is provided. IVAC welcomes volunteers to contribute their time on a flexible schedule. You can contribute meaningfully in as little as 24 hours per month in as small as 2-hour increments. IVAC headquarters on Main Street offers high-speed WiFi and desk space to break up your work from home routine. There are ways to contribute outside of emergency 911 responses. Many of IVAC’s active volunteers are Irvington residents who had no emergency medical service experience prior to joining!
Certain Member Benefits
Serving as an IFD and/or IVAC member offers certain benefits beyond giving back to your community.
Serving as an IFD or IVAC member allows you to profoundly help community members at their most vulnerable moments and to connect with other volunteers. I hope you will consider becoming a member of IFD or IVAC to support them and your community. For additional Information on IFD see https://www.irvingtonfd.com/ and IVAC see https://irvingtonvac.org. If you are interested in the IFD contact Assistant Fire Chief David Dowd at chiefdowd@irvingtonny.gov. If you are interested in IVAC contact Captain and Chief Officer Lucas Isola at captain@irvingtonvac.org.
Regards,
Jon Siegel, Mayor
jsiegel@irvingtonny.gov
Member Requirements
Members of the IFD must be at least 16 years of age and reside in the Irvington Village or School District or work in the Village. No driver’s license is required. Volunteers willing to devote any amount of time regularly will be considered. Firefighters meet four times a month for training, maintenance and administrative purposes. Members can take a variety of free courses at the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services in Valhalla (”WCDES”). Members are expected to respond to a percentage of calls. For those seeking to become an interior firefighter, IFD will pay for training requirements. These include a Firefighter 1 course of approximately 150 hours offered by the WCDES at various times (days, nights and weekends) and a CPR/AED certification course.
IVAC members must be at least 16 years of age. Basic first aid and CPR training (provided free in a few hours by IVAC) is all that is needed to start. For those interested in advancing their knowledge, EMT training and other certification courses are available with state reimbursement for those who pass certifying exams. If you are interested in driving the ambulance, a clean driver’s license is required and free Emergency Vehicle Operator training is provided. IVAC welcomes volunteers to contribute their time on a flexible schedule. You can contribute meaningfully in as little as 24 hours per month in as small as 2-hour increments. IVAC headquarters on Main Street offers high-speed WiFi and desk space to break up your work from home routine. There are ways to contribute outside of emergency 911 responses. Many of IVAC’s active volunteers are Irvington residents who had no emergency medical service experience prior to joining!
Certain Member Benefits
Serving as an IFD and/or IVAC member offers certain benefits beyond giving back to your community.
- Partial Real Property Tax Exemption is available to IFD and IVAC Irvington homeowners who meet certain length of service requirements (currently 2 years). The exemption applies to Irvington Village and School, Greenburgh and County real property taxation to the extent of 10% of the assessed property value, exclusive of special assessments. Members not eligible for the exemption can claim a New York State personal income tax credit of $200.
- Length of Service Awards established by the Village for IFD and IVAC members provide retirement benefits to members and their beneficiaries. The IFD and IVAC plan benefits are $25 and $30, respectively, per month for every year of service up to a maximum of 40 years. Plan benefits commence at the later of age 65 or five years of service.
- Westchester County Volunteer Higher Education Recruitment and Retention Opportunities Program (“HERRO”) provides active emergency services personnel up to $6,000 annually in tuition reimbursement or student loan repayment assistance. Applicants must be active members of a fire or EMS agency for 1 year to apply and must remain active for payments to continue. For further details see https://emergencyservices.westchestergov.com/contact-us/h-e-r-r-o.
- Retailer discounts are available to firefighters and EMS volunteers, including on cellular phone plans and gym membership.
Serving as an IFD or IVAC member allows you to profoundly help community members at their most vulnerable moments and to connect with other volunteers. I hope you will consider becoming a member of IFD or IVAC to support them and your community. For additional Information on IFD see https://www.irvingtonfd.com/ and IVAC see https://irvingtonvac.org. If you are interested in the IFD contact Assistant Fire Chief David Dowd at chiefdowd@irvingtonny.gov. If you are interested in IVAC contact Captain and Chief Officer Lucas Isola at captain@irvingtonvac.org.
Regards,
Jon Siegel, Mayor
jsiegel@irvingtonny.gov