Freedom House Enterprise Ambulance Service: A Forgotten Turning Point in America’s EMS

ABSTRACT In response to the need for improved emergency medical services (EMS) post–World War II and the high percentage of unemployed African Americans in underserved areas of Pittsburgh, renowned physician Peter Safar, civil rights activist James McCoy, and community leader Philip Hallen worked together to create Freedom House Enterprise Ambulance Service (FHE). Their collaboration formed the first paramedic service in the United States, predominantly composed of “unemployable” African Americans from the Hill District of Pittsburgh. The FHE used their personal connection to the Hill District to empower the community and work toward social justice, a change no other group of people could have accomplished. In the process, FHE became a turning point in history by defying the stereotypes of the 1960s and revolutionizing America’s ineffective prehospital care. Although FHE remains largely forgotten, their work set the foundation for the life-saving paramedic systems that provide care for people today.