Freedom House Ambulance - The First Responders Free Community Screening

Complimentary light refreshments will be served.

RK Mellon

UPMC

Mobile Health Resources/EMSST

Page, Wolfberg & Wirth LLC

Center for Emergency Medicine/ STAT MedEvac

In 1967, Pittsburgh's inner city produced America’s first EMT service. Comprised solely of Black men and women recruited from the city’s Hill District neighborhood, the paramedics of Freedom House Ambulance became trailblazers in providing pre-hospital and CPR care. Freedom House was initially conceived to respond to the needs of Pittsburgh’s African American community who often times, couldn’t rely on police and fire departments during an emergency. Their ground breaking work became the basis for all paramedics training in the country. However, despite its success - racism and power dynamics in Pittsburgh eventually shut down Freedom House, leaving its legacy almost lost to history.

This 30-minute documentary explores the rise and fall of Freedom House Ambulance. With rare archival images, the program features the story of inception from an original founder, compelling reflections of surviving paramedics, stories of the world-renowned doctors who trained them, and memories of lifelong Hill District residents.

Host:

Minette Seate - As WQED's Supervising Producer, Minette has a long track record of creating content that is well-received by audiences and critics alike. She has written and produced many award-winning television programs and numerous documentaries, many of which have focused on Pittsburgh’s African American community.

Panelists:

Annette Banks - As the documentary's producer, Annette will share behind-the-scenes stories in making the film, including successes and challenges along the way. Annette is the recipient of four Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards for her previous productions, including "A Crowning Achievement," the story of Jean Bryant's founding of Pittsburgh's African American pageants, and "August Wilson Park - You Plan Right" covering the history of the Hill District park.

Mitchell J. Brown - Mitch grew up in the Hill District and witnessed firsthand the lack of emergency response and support for the people in his community. He shares his personal story as well as memories of his time as Assistant Chief of Freedom House Ambulance.

Phil Hallen - Freedom House Ambulance was Phil's idea, and he recounts the story of how and why he became one of the original founders as a representative of the Maurice Falk Medical Fund. Phil continued his work in Pittsburgh in the human rights field and retired after 35 years as president of the Falk Fund.

George McCary - George was one of the original team, hired and trained by the man who is known as the father of CPR, Dr. Peter Safar. George recounts the rigorous training he and the others went through to become one of the country's very first paramedics.

John Moon - John grew up in the Hill District, and long had an interest in health care. He wanted to give back to the community, and Freedom House provided him with that opportunity. He was one of the few paramedics from Freedom House who became part of the Pittsburgh city EMS service, where he served for 34 years, retiring in 2009 as Assistant Chief.

Host or Publisher WQED