COURIER LIFE, OCT. 29-NOV. 4, 2021 13
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On October 9th, BRAVO
Volunteer Ambulance services
held a naming ceremony
to dedicate a conference
room in memory of
Peter Amentas, a founding
and lifetime member of the
organization.
The room is located at
BRAVO headquarters, 8507
7th Avenue. About 50 people
were in attendance, and
refreshments were served.
Amentas joined BRAVO
in July 1974, and completed
training in First Aid, Advanced
First Aid,
Emergency Medical
Technician, EMT-Defibrillator,
Driver Trainer, and
received special training
in Intravenous and Respiratory
Therapy courses for
BRAVO members. In 1978,
he became a CPR instructor
for the American Red
Cross. He served as a member
of BRAVO’s Board of Directors
for seven years, and
was a member of the Constitution
Committee, the
Membership
Committee and the Nomination
Committee.
Amentas was a devoted
father and grandfather who
passed away a year ago at
age 70, after a long battle
with brain cancer.
Longtime BRAVO member
Jim Koutsavlis says,
“He was my best friend.
I knew him since the age
of 12. He was intelligent, a
remarkable historian, and
Vietnam veteran.”
Koutsavlis remembers
that Amentas took the police
test in the 1970’s, when
there were 55,000 applicants
– and he scored number
one! “But he never became
a police officer because he
had concerns that the city
was bankrupt, so he got a
job with the federal government
instead.”
At a time when the city
was in a dire need of ambulatory
service, Amentas
helped put BRAVO together.
As a result, countless lives
were saved because emergency
medical care was
provided when timing was
crucial. This is because,
back then, the city ambulance
response time was
slow, and BRAVO filled in
the gaps.
The volunteers at BRAVO
Volunteer Ambulance have
been serving the community
since 1974, providing
ambulance transportation
for people who reside
in the areas of Bay Ridge,
Ft. Hamilton, and Dyker
Heights. No one was sent a
bill for these services, and
BRAVO ambulance service
was available 24/7.
Their services continue
to be offered free of charge
today. But a lack of volunteers
now makes 24/7
ambulance service impossible.
As a result, BRAVO
is always looking for new
volunteers and for donations.
Although many who
volunteer do work in the
emergency service field
in some capacity, a medical
background is not a
requirement. People are
also needed to answer the
phones and radio, or to do
administrative work.
BRAVO operates within
certain borders - below
14th Avenue and above 60th
Street, and providing these
services to the community
remains essential.
“Peter is responsible for
saving a lot of lives,” says
Koutsavlis. “I remember
when he pulled a candy
sour ball out of a child’s
mouth. He administered
CPR, bringing her back to
life.”
John DiVeglio, BRAVO’s
Chairperson of the Board,
says, “Peter Amentas was
truly an inspiration, and a
mentor to so many in our
organization.”
BRAVO 8507 7th Ave. between
85th and 86th streets
in Bay Ridge. Email: President@
BravoAmbulance.
org. Emergency Service
number: 718-680-1111.
BUS INES S , B ROOKLYN S T Y LE
BRAVO remembers founder Peter Amentas
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