Pennsylvania HR 413: A Resolution recognizing "Black History Month" in Pennsylvania by commemorating the recently passed 50th anniversary of the closure of Freedom House Ambulance Service.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 2844
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 413
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY ABNEY, MAYES, N. NELSON, VENKAT, FRANKEL,
McANDREW, MADSEN, POWELL, RIVERA, SHUSTERMAN AND D. WILLIAMS,
FEBRUARY 2, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 2, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing "Black History Month" in Pennsylvania by
commemorating the recently passed 50th anniversary of the
closure of Freedom House Ambulance Service.
WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service was founded in 1967
in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and became the first
emergency medical service in the United States to be staffed by
professionally trained paramedics; and
WHEREAS, Prior to the establishment of Freedom House
Ambulance Service, ambulance services in the City of Pittsburgh
were provided by the police department and consisted primarily
of transportation to hospitals without the provision of medical
treatment en route; and
WHEREAS, During this period, emergency response times were
often long and, in predominantly Black neighborhoods such as the
Hill District, emergency calls were frequently unanswered,
contributing to poor health outcomes and a reluctance among
residents to seek assistance from law enforcement due to
longstanding community tensions; and
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WHEREAS, Phil Hallen, president of the Maurice Falk Medical
Fund, advanced the unique concept of a private ambulance service
in Pittsburgh and collaborated with the Hill District's Freedom
House Enterprise Corporation, founded by James McCoy, Jr., to
implement the program; and
WHEREAS, The first class of Freedom House Ambulance Service
recruits consisted of 25 Black men from the Hill District,
providing employment opportunities while addressing gaps in
emergency medical care; and
WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service combined emergency
medical care with a groundbreaking workforce development program
that trained underemployed Black men and women as paramedics;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Peter Safar designed and implemented the
paramedic training program, consisting of a rigorous 32-week,
300-hour curriculum that included anatomy, physiology,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, advanced first aid, nursing and
defensive driving; and
WHEREAS, The training program also required six weeks of
hospital-based instruction in operating rooms, emergency
departments, intensive care units, morgues and medical wards, as
well as participation in medical rounds and lectures alongside
resident physicians, standards that remain uncommon in many
emergency medical service programs; and
WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service began operations in
1968 with two ambulances and became known for its high standard
of care, earning the trust of the community and being frequently
requested by callers over police-operated ambulance services;
and
WHEREAS, In its first year of operation, Freedom House
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Ambulance Service responded to nearly 5,800 emergency calls and
transported more than 4,600 patients, primarily in Black
neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, The service is credited with saving at least 200
lives in its first year and achieving response times of less
than 10 minutes in neighborhoods that had long experienced
delayed emergency response; and
WHEREAS, The paramedic training standards and ambulance
design innovations pioneered by Freedom House Ambulance Service
influenced emergency medical service curricula and operational
models in other jurisdictions and contributed to the development
of modern emergency medical systems; and
WHEREAS, Despite its success and profound impact, Freedom
House Ambulance Service ceased operations on October 15, 1975,
after the City of Pittsburgh ended its contract to establish a
city-operated ambulance service; and
WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh's ambulance service was
modeled on the experience of Freedom House Ambulance Service but
employed a largely white workforce, and extensive lobbying was
required to secure employment opportunities for some Freedom
House paramedics despite their training and experience; and
WHEREAS, The legacy of Freedom House Ambulance Service
reflects a significant development in public health and
emergency medicine in this Commonwealth, as well as innovation
in the face of discrimination, originating in Pennsylvania and
changing the course of emergency medical care worldwide;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize "Black
History Month" in Pennsylvania by commemorating the recently
passed 50th anniversary of the closure of Freedom House
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Ambulance Service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives acknowledge the
roles of the paramedics, medical leaders and community members
from the Hill District who made Free