So The Pitt Has You Obsessed With Freedom House Ambulance

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In my opinion as a movie reviewer, “The Pitt” offers a unique take on medical dramas, delving into the potential causes that may lead individuals to the emergency room. However, in the captivating episode titled “2:00 P.M.,” we veer from the usual patient history and instead explore a man’s past through his extraordinary knowledge of his pacemaker malfunction. The character, Willie Alexander (Harold Sylvester), initially dismisses suspicions that he was a doctor or hospital worker, but his son later reveals a shocking truth: Willie was once a medic for the pioneering Freedom House Ambulance Service.

If the intrigue of Dr. Robby’s enthusiastic reaction (“That guy’s a legend”) and Willie’s enlightening account of Freedom House – the country’s first Emergency Medical Services organization in the 1960s and ’70s, primarily composed of Black men and women from Pittsburgh’s underserved neighborhoods – sparks your curiosity, then I highly recommend “Freedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders” as your next watch. This series offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of EMS services and pays tribute to the trailblazers who paved the way for future first responders.

The 2023 documentary produced by WQED Pittsburgh, a PBS member-station, was released and can be found on YouTube. The visuals are straightforward, combining historical photographs and videos, news articles, and interviews with ex-Freedom House Ambulance staff, local residents of Pittsburgh, and medical professionals. Despite the simple presentation, the story is incredibly engaging, evoking emotions ranging from anger to inspiration as it sheds light on how a small group significantly altered our way of life – serving as a stark reminder of the tumultuous history of our nation.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=1pGFo0OmfwY

The Freedom House Ambulance service originates in the 1940s, detailing how Pittsburgh’s African-American communities, such as Hill District, thrived economically due to the city’s involvement in manufacturing military equipment. However, this prosperity was halted when the city introduced a “renaissance” plan aimed at reducing pollution and revitalizing the downtown area. This plan resulted in the displacement of around 8,000 African-American residents, the demolition of 400 businesses, and the establishment of a segregated housing system that left Black communities underserved, particularly by the police who often refused to transport sick or injured Black individuals to hospitals. The service was also inadequate for white citizens; in 1966, former mayor David Lawrence suffered a heart attack just two blocks from a hospital and his chances of recovery were negatively impacted by being transported in a police vehicle without medical aid. He later passed away. A resident of Hill District, Mitchell J. Brown, recalls instances of the police dismissing his unconscious mother as drunk. She died five days later from a cerebral hemorrhage, and Brown eventually became involved with Freedom House, an organization established to provide aid to African-American Pittsburgh residents who were not receiving it from the city’s official services.

In a captivating presentation at 2:00 P.M., Dr. Robby elucidates how their program was instrumental in establishing the 911 system, which was further detailed by Freedom House Ambulance. The groundbreaking initiative was primarily spearheaded by Dr. Peter Safar, known as the father of CPR, who conducted innovative experiments on volunteers who permitted him to temporarily paralyze their breathing muscles. These experiments were documented, and one particularly striking scene shows a Boy Scout kneeling beside an adult, providing breaths through Safar’s experimental tube device. Upon joining Freedom House, Dr. Safar played a crucial role in hiring and training the initial team of employees. This group consisted mainly of high-school dropouts and formerly incarcerated individuals who were eager to learn and contribute. They were recruited via flyers and other promotional materials we see onscreen, completed an extensive nine-month field training program totaling 300 hours, and then hit the streets, speeding around the city in their ambulances.

Freedom House, a renowned organization that handled thousands of calls each year, boasts an impressive array of achievements, some of which are detailed by Willie in “2:00 P.M.”: They were the first to perform field intubation, deliver electric shocks to the heart in the field, and use Narcan to reverse an overdose in the field. As Brenda Tate, a long-time Hill District resident, put it, Freedom House was “neighbors who took you to the hospital, who looked like you, who understood you,” a connection that significantly improved the physical and mental health of Black communities such as Hill District. However, this admirable work caught the attention of Pittsburgh’s white, affluent, and influential residents. The climax of Freedom House Ambulance portrays the deliberate dismantling of Freedom House by Mayor Peter Flaherty, a turn of events that is both enraging and bittersweet. The standardization of EMS services across the country was a tacit endorsement of Freedom House’s work, acknowledging their immense impact. Yet, it’s disheartening to see how Freedom House employees were excluded from this standardizing process, allowing Pittsburgh’s white ruling class (represented by a photo of four mustachioed white men in charge of the city’s EMS) to preserve their power. The Pitt acknowledges and respects the Freedom House employees, while Freedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders underscores how much more they truly deserve.

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2025-02-21 06:54