BVAC Rescue Response Training Center

What a great day teaching our 18-hour NYS CCW course!

Our students received professional instruction and hands-on training in our dedicated training facility in Bayside, Queens. We take pride in giving every student the time, attention, and practical learning experience they deserve.

Our next class is next weekend, and only 4 spots remain! If you need your 18-hour CCW course, register today and secure your seat.

👉 "Register at bvacorps.org" (https://www.bvacorps.org)

***rmSafety

SEPTEMBER 11 — FROM ONE WHO WAS THERE

25 Years Later

There are some days in your life that become memories.

And then there are days that become a part of you.

September 11, 2001, is one of those days for me.

I was one of the first responders who answered the call that day. Twenty-five years later, there are things I can still remember as if they happened yesterday. There are other things I don't talk about very often.

Those of us who responded came from different departments, agencies, ambulance corps and communities. Most of us didn't know one another. It didn't matter.

Someone needed help.

So we went.

We didn't know what the next hour would bring. We didn't know how long we would be there or what we would see. We certainly didn't understand how that one day would continue affecting so many of us decades later.

We just knew that people needed us.

What I remember most today isn't only the destruction.

I remember the people.

I remember first responders doing what they were trained to do under circumstances none of us could ever have truly trained for.

I remember people helping complete strangers.

I remember firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel, Port Authority officers, medical personnel, dispatchers, volunteers and countless others working side by side.

Nobody cared what patch was on your shoulder.

Nobody asked where you came from.

There was work to do.

So we did it.

Some of the people who answered that call never went home.

Others survived September 11 only to become sick years later because of what they were exposed to while serving at Ground Zero and the surrounding areas.

And some of us are still here 25 years later.

We carry our own memories of that day.

But when I think about September 11, I also think about the families.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day. Behind every one of those numbers was somebody who was loved.

Someone lost a husband or wife.

Someone lost a mother or father.

Children lost parents.

Parents lost children.

Families lost brothers, sisters, grandparents and relatives.

Friends lost people they expected to grow old with.

Twenty-five years may have passed for the rest of the world, but I know there are families for whom September 11 never became history.

It remained personal.

That is why remembering matters.

As a member of the Bayside Volunteer Ambulance Corps, I am also proud that members of BVAC answered the call that day.

We were a small volunteer ambulance corps from Bayside, Queens.

But on September 11, that didn't matter.

We were needed, and we responded.

I am proud to have served alongside the members of BVAC who went out that day. I am proud of every first responder, volunteer and ordinary citizen who stepped forward when our city needed help.

September 11 changed all of us in different ways.

It also showed us something that I wish people today could have witnessed without having to experience the tragedy that caused it.

We came together.

People weren't asking whether someone was a Republican or Democrat.

Nobody cared about someone's religion, race, neighborhood or background.

People were Americans helping Americans.

New Yorkers helping New Yorkers.

And strangers helping strangers.

For a while, we remembered that we had far more in common than we had separating us.

Twenty-five years later, I wish we could remember more of that.

So on this anniversary, I don't want to remember September 11 only for what happened to the buildings.

I want to remember the people.

I remember those who went to work that morning and never returned home.

I remember the first responders who gave their lives trying to save others.

I remember those who survived that day but lost their lives in the years afterward from 9/11-related illnesses.

I remember my fellow first responders who are still here and continue to carry the effects of that day.

I remember the families who have lived with an empty place at their table for 25 years.

And I remember the members of the Bayside Volunteer Ambulance Corps who answered the call alongside me.

To everyone who was there:

I remember you.

To those we lost:

I will never forget you.

To the families:

Your loved ones are still remembered.

And to every first responder who answered the call that day and every day since:

Thank you for your service.

Twenty-five years later, I am grateful to still be here to remember them.

And as long as those of us who were there continue telling their stories, the people we lost will never simply become names in a history book.

They will be remembered for who they were, what they did, and the people who loved them.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

September 11, 2001

From one first responder who was there, to all those who served, all those we lost, and all the families who continue to carry their memory.

Chris Capo

Looking for an 18-Hour NYS Concealed Carry Course in NYC?

BVAC Rescue Response Training Center is offering our 18-Hour New York State Concealed Carry Fi***rm Safety Course on September 12 & 13, 2026 in Bayside, Queens.

The course includes 16 hours of in-person classroom instruction and 2 hours of live-fire training, covering fi***rm safety, New York fi***rm laws, safe storage, situational awareness, conflict avoidance, de-escalation, marksmanship, and required proficiency testing.

📍 Bayside, Queens, NYC
💲 $399
🚆 Steps from the Bayside LIRR station

Learn more and register: https://buff.ly/Pl44MX1

Train in a professional, safety-focused environment with BVAC Rescue Response Training Center.

***rmSafety

🛡️ September is National Preparedness Month.

Preparedness isn't about fear—it's about having a plan.

Take a few minutes this week to:
✅ Review your family emergency plan
✅ Update emergency contacts
✅ Check your emergency kit
✅ Replace expired supplies
✅ Discuss meeting locations
✅ Learn lifesaving skills like CPR and first aid

Small steps today can make a big difference tomorrow.

Read our newest article: National Preparedness Month: Is Your Household Ready for an Emergency?

Read More: https://buff.ly/CgkFvN5

🩸 Could you recognize life-threatening bleeding?

Severe bleeding can happen during vehicle crashes, workplace accidents, falls, recreational activities, or everyday incidents—and dangerous blood loss can occur before professional responders arrive.

Remember:

📞 Call 911
🩸 Apply firm, continuous direct pressure
🧤 Use protective gloves when available
🚑 Know where emergency equipment is located
🩹 Learn how tourniquets and bleeding-control equipment are properly used

You don't need to be a medical professional to be prepared to help.

Read our latest public safety article: When Seconds Matter: What the Public Should Know About Severe Bleeding.

Read More: https://buff.ly/fi7FdDz

⛈️ Severe weather can develop quickly during late summer.

Thunderstorms, damaging winds, flash flooding, lightning, and power outages can disrupt a community with little warning.

Before the next storm:

🔦 Check your emergency supplies
📱 Charge phones and backup batteries
🌧️ Know where to receive weather alerts
🏠 Identify your safest shelter location
💊 Plan for medications and medical equipment
⚡ Stay away from downed power lines
🚗 Never drive through flooded roadways

Preparedness works best when it happens before the warning is issued.

Read our latest article: Severe Summer Storms: Preparing for Thunderstorms, Flooding, and Power Outages.

Read More: https://buff.ly/9Nfkpyz

Looking for an 18-Hour NYS Concealed Carry Course in NYC?

BVAC Rescue Response Training Center is offering our 18-Hour New York State Concealed Carry Fi***rm Safety Course on September 12 & 13, 2026 in Bayside, Queens.

The course includes 16 hours of in-person classroom instruction and 2 hours of live-fire training, covering fi***rm safety, New York fi***rm laws, safe storage, situational awareness, conflict avoidance, de-escalation, marksmanship, and required proficiency testing.

📍 Bayside, Queens, NYC
💲 $399
🚆 Steps from the Bayside LIRR station

Learn more and register: https://www.bvacorps.org/bvac-services/nra-fi***rm-safety-ccw-training

Train in a professional, safety-focused environment with BVAC Rescue Response Training Center.

***rmSafety

Heat emergencies don't end just because summer is winding down.

Late August can still bring dangerous heat and humidity, especially during outdoor work, sports, exercise, festivals, and community activities.

Know the warning signs of heat illness. Dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache, and heavy sweating can indicate heat exhaustion. Confusion, collapse, seizures, or loss of consciousness may signal a life-threatening heat emergency.

For suspected heat stroke, call 911 and begin cooling immediately while help is on the way.

Read our latest public safety article: Summer Heat Emergencies: Recognizing Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke.

Read More: https://buff.ly/WB22Sq0