Freedom House Ambulance Service

Freedom House Ambulance Service
SuccessorPittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
Established1967; 57 years ago (1967)
FoundersPhil Hallen, Dr. Peter Safar
Founded atHill District (Pittsburgh)
DefunctOctober 15, 1975; 48 years ago (1975-10-15)
Purposehumanitarian
Location
ProductsAmbulance design, later adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
ServicesParamedics staffed emergency medical services
Medical Director
Dr. Nancy Caroline
Key people
Dr. Ron Stewart, Dr. Paul Paris
Parent organization
Freedom House Enterprises
AffiliationsThe Maurice Falk Medical Fund

Freedom House Ambulance Service was the first emergency medical service in the United States to be staffed by paramedics with medical training beyond basic first aid.[1][2] Founded in 1967 to serve the predominantly black Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was staffed entirely by African Americans.[3][4] Freedom House Ambulance Service broke medical ground by training its personnel to previously unheard-of standards of emergency medical care for patients en route to hospitals.[3][5][6] The paramedic training and ambulance design standards pioneered in the Freedom House Ambulance Service would set the standard for emergency care nationally and even internationally.[2][5] Despite its successes, the ambulance service was closed eight years after it began operating.[5]

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