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CATSKILLS HATZALAH INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 113107848 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B99 · Education · Medium ($1M-$10M) · chvac.net
revenue
$2.4M
expenses
$2.3M
net assets
$6.4M
employees
0
volunteers
239
program ratio
80%
mission · from form 990

To provide premium quality pre-hospital emergency medical treatment and transportation at no cost to all who need it, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.

profile · synthesized from sources

CATSKILLS HATZALAH INC is a volunteer-based emergency medical service providing free pre-hospital care and transportation in the Catskills region of New York. The organization operates a fleet of ambulances and relies on over 450 trained EMTs and paramedics to respond to more than 4,000 emergency calls annually. It maintains independent operations despite affiliations with other Hatzalah organizations.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Emergency Medical Response
Provides 24/7 emergency medical services including basic and advanced life support through a network of volunteer EMTs and paramedics responding to over 4,000 calls annually
Emergency Search & Rescue Team
Specialized unit assisting local authorities in missing persons operations, established in 1995
GPS Mapping Project
Develops and distributes GPS data for over 1,000 summer camps and colonies to improve emergency response times; available for Garmin, Magellan, Mio, and smartphone devices
Medevac Partnership
Collaborates with Medivac to operate a helicopter-based emergency medical transport system, established in 1993
Safety Awareness Program
Distributes fire safety checklists and educational materials to help summer residents prevent emergencies
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Emergency Ambulance & Medical Response 3 activities
    • Delivers advanced pre-hospital medical and trauma care
      Provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) services including IV access, cardiac monitoring, and paramedic-level interventions. Launched the first ALS paramedic program in Sullivan County and specializes in high-risk patient transfers.
    • Deploys volunteer EMTs with rapid-response medical equipment
      Equips more than 450 volunteer EMTs and paramedics with specialized medical tools, including oxygen tanks and life-support devices such as ventilators and IV pumps, enabling immediate care delivery. Volunteers store equipment in personal vehicles for faster deployment.
    • Provides no-cost pre-hospital emergency medical treatment and transportation
      Delivers emergency medical care and patient transport at no cost to individuals in need, supported by volunteer EMTs and paramedics. The organization responds to over 4,000 emergency medical calls annually in the Catskills region.
  • Regional EMS Coordination and Quality Improvement 1 activity
    • Develops and distributes GPS navigation tools for emergency response
      Creates and provides downloadable GPS files for various devices (including Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, Mio, and CoPilot Navigator) containing coordinates for emergency locations, summer colonies, medevac landing zones, and Hatzalah stations. Covers over 1,000 locations in the NY Catskills, Greene County, and surrounding areas to improve responder navigation and reduce response times.
  • Emergency Response Vehicle Operations 1 activity
    • Operates a fleet of advanced ambulances for emergency response
      Maintains and strategically deploys a fleet of modern, state-certified ambulances equipped with specialized medical and rescue equipment. Evidence indicates the fleet includes 13 to 20 ambulances positioned across the region to ensure rapid emergency response.
  • Fire Safety Education & Prevention 1 activity
    • Supports community emergency preparedness and safety awareness
      Distributes fire safety checklists and promotes public readiness through initiatives like updated GPS summer maps. Encourages community cooperation during emergencies, such as dispatching adults with flashlights to guide responders to colony entrances, especially at night or on Friday evenings.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Manages emergency dispatch and communications infrastructure
      Operates a computerized HCAD dispatch system and an internal Radio Dispatch Center to coordinate emergency responses. Maintains a two-way radio network covering over 100 square miles and ensures continuous caller contact until responders are dispatched.
    • Partners on helicopter-based emergency transport and search & rescue operations
      Established the region’s first helicopter-based emergency medical transport system through a partnership with Medivac. Also founded an Emergency Search & Rescue Team to assist local authorities in missing persons cases.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.38M
Contributions & grants$1.92M81%
Program service revenue$431K18%
Investment income$23K1%
Other revenue$10K
expenses
Total expenses$2.33M
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$6.92M
Cash$533K
Investments$1.74M
Liabilities$550K
Net assets$6.37M
Liquid reserves11.7 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -7.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 9
  • ALAN ESSES — BOARD MEMBER
  • BENJAMIN KESSLER — BOARD MEMBER
  • DAVID SHIPPER — BOARD MEMBER
  • ISAAC STERN — Treasurer
  • JEFFREY MOERDLER — BOARD MEMBER
  • JOSEPH WALDMAN — Vice President
  • MAYER ORGEL — BOARD MEMBER
  • MOSHE BRAVER — BOARD MEMBER
  • ZELIG GITELIS — Vice President
relationships · 6

Who they work with

  • Ellenville Fire District Partner — Collaborates to provide official Medevac Landing Zone data for emergency response.
  • Hatzalah Network — Maintains a close affiliation with other Hatzalah organizations while operating independently.
  • Medivac Partner — Partnered to establish the first helicopter-based emergency medical transport system in the region.
  • Mio Technology Partner — Collaborates with Mio Technology to provide compatible GPS data files for emergency medical responders using Mio navigation devices.
  • TomTom Partner — Collaborates with TomTom to provide GPS navigation support for emergency medical services in the Catskills region.
  • loyal supporters Funder — Primary source of funding through private donations
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Advanced Pre-Hospital Care Tiering
    methodology: advanced-life-support-tiering
    By deploying paramedics capable of administering advanced emergency medications beyond EMT scope, the organization improves patient outcomes prior to hospital arrival, because early intervention with higher-level medical protocols stabilizes critical conditions more effectively in remote settings where transport times are longer.
  • Local Knowledge and Community-Guided Response Optimization
    methodology: local-knowledge-optimization
    By leveraging deep familiarity with local roads, seasonal patterns, and community-specific access challenges—including use of on-the-ground guides and physically verified GPS data—the organization reduces response times and improves navigation accuracy, because localized intelligence compensates for rural infrastructure gaps and enhances operational precision.
  • Technology-Enhanced Rapid Deployment Model
    methodology: rapid-deployment-model
    By integrating GPS technology, mobile mapping, and pre-positioned equipment into volunteer responders’ personal vehicles, the organization enables faster and more accurate emergency responses in geographically challenging areas, because combining real-time navigation tools with decentralized deployment overcomes rural remoteness and terrain limitations.
  • Universal Access to Emergency Medical Care
    methodology: universal_access
    By providing emergency medical services free of charge and without regard to personal characteristics, the organization ensures care reaches all individuals in need, because removing financial and social barriers increases access and utilization during critical moments.
  • Volunteer-Based Operational Independence
    methodology: volunteer_ambulance_service
    By relying on a sustained network of long-term volunteers funded entirely through private donations, the organization maintains agile, community-rooted emergency services independent of government systems, because this model fosters rapid mobilization, local accountability, and uninterrupted service continuity during high-demand periods.