What Does Empress Mean? Where Did Name Come From?

[firepost 0]

I remember when Empress worked out of the house at the corner of Livingston and Post street. Don't know exactly what year they started, but it was in the 60's. use to live across the street.

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What was "Empress"? I take it that it was some sort of Ambulance service but with an acronym like that it sounds unusual so what did it stand for and what was it about? I'm obviously from out of town.

[gpdexplorer 46]

Yes, Empress in Yonkers' paid ambulance service. Empress EMS is still running today. But I couldn't tell you as to where the name came from or what it means.

[61MACKBR1 222]

Does anyone remember these? Abbey Richmond, A A Ambulance, and the gone but not forgotten Yonkers Volunteer Ambulance Corp, that used to run out of that Old Gas Station on Central Avenue that was given up with Central Avenue was redone back in the early 1970's as well as that Garage next to the Parking Garage across the street from the Old Yonkers General Hospital

[Guest paramedico987]

I'm not sure about the name's significance, but I'll ask next time I see Lenore and get back...

Incidentally it's a popular business name. I've seen lots of other non emergency service busnesses with the name [i.e. dry cleaner]

[IzzyEng4 427]

Could it be a derived from NY's motto being the "Empire State" ? Empress? Just a though.

[JBE 328]

Female Monarch type=Empress.

I remember A-1, Abbey Richmond, Metro North(who I worked for, for a total of a month after I got out of the service). TransCare before they got taken over by Metropolitan, and Sloper-Willen, who I wanted to apply with before I got on the job. There's a bunch of private ambulances out there.

Edited December 9, 2006 by JBE

[Guest WolfEMT]

Wasn't Empress called Metrocare at one point? Or am I thinking of someone else?

[Guest]

Wasn't Empress called Metrocare at one point? Or am I thinking of someone else?

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No Empress was never called Metrocare. Metrocare was created when Metropolitan, Metro North, United, Unimet and Transcare (including Abbey Richmond) all became one company which is now called Transcare.

Edited December 10, 2006 by x710

[helicopper 1,050]

Wasn't Empress called Metrocare at one point? Or am I thinking of someone else?

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Empress is one of the few holdouts from all the takeovers, mergers, name-changes, etc. It's been Empress since at least the late 70's or early 80's. Was owned by a few different people over the years but never changed names...

Don't have the slightest idea where the name came from, though.

[efd1674 5]

Jerry Novak with funds from his mother started the company.

Empress was the mothers nickname.

Posting help from Gumby, one of the orginal workers

[Oswegowind 17]

THAT'S RIGHT!!!

A few of Jerry's original employees are still in active service in Yonkers. At least 3 of them are dispatchers for YPD/YFD. From their stories, Jerry lived on Livingston Ave and the original units came out of his home. It was passed along and still lives today. Kind of strange that someone I work with now worked for Empress before I was born! And I worked there for a while.

On a side note Empress Travel, I believe is also owned by the Minerva family (owner's of Empress EMS).

[x635 4,066]

Here's an interesting article on Empress and part of their history:

http://georgesmay-casehistories.com/empress_ambulance.html

[Guest]

Are they only in Yonkers?

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

They don't own the Travel Co in Yonkers called EMPRESS.

[Guest paramedico987]

Empress is BASED out of Yonkers and provides 911 service to:

Yonkers

Mt. Vernon

Pelham

Yorktown

They also hold emergency contracts with several area nursing homes and 2 state correctional facilities, as well as mulitiple routine transport and stand-by contracs throughout the area.