Condemned Building Puts Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corp At Risk
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Volunteers at a Brooklyn ambulance corp work to save lives, but now a crumbling building next to their headquarters is putting their own lives in danger. NY1's Ty Chandler filed the following report.A black sports utility vehicle currently serves as the office of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps, since its new headquarters is stuck in the street.
"It's frustrating you cannot imagine how frustrating it is," said Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps Captain Rocky Robinson.
The ambulance corps members waited two years for its new home, which is a double-wide trailer, but they still cannot move in.
"When it finally arrived and we put it on the lot, we noticed the building cracking and shaking," said Robinson.
The Fire Department condemned the building next door, forcing the ambulance corps to move its trailer to the street until the building is demolished.
"They said they would demolish it right away. It's been a week and the trailers are in the street creating a hazard and the building could fall at anytime," said Robinson.
The new trailer will be used to train future EMTs, like Latoya Currence.
"I am in a shelter. I have five children. It's very difficult. But I'm here to save lives because that's what I love to do," said Currence.
"We're using all our resources we have to save lives in this community, yet we're running into bureaucracy," said Robinson. "They don't want to help us get our academy running and every second counts when someone's life is at stake."
The Department of Buildings told NY1 that it wants to make sure the building is demolished safely, and once it's brought to that level, the ambulance corps can move back into the lot. However, the DOB did not offer any details of when the demolition would take place.