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.

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
 1   Recognizing "Black History Month" in Pennsylvania by
 2      commemorating the recently passed 50th anniversary of the
 3      closure of Freedom House Ambulance Service.
 4      WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service was founded in 1967
 5   in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and became the first
 6   emergency medical service in the United States to be staffed by
 7   professionally trained paramedics; and
 8      WHEREAS, Prior to the establishment of Freedom House
 9   Ambulance Service, ambulance services in the City of Pittsburgh
10   were provided by the police department and consisted primarily
11   of transportation to hospitals without the provision of medical
12   treatment en route; and
13      WHEREAS, During this period, emergency response times were
14   often long and, in predominantly Black neighborhoods such as the
15   Hill District, emergency calls were frequently unanswered,
16   contributing to poor health outcomes and a reluctance among
17   residents to seek assistance from law enforcement due to
18   longstanding community tensions; and
 1         WHEREAS, Phil Hallen, president of the Maurice Falk Medical
 2   Fund, advanced the unique concept of a private ambulance service
 3   in Pittsburgh and collaborated with the Hill District's Freedom
 4   House Enterprise Corporation, founded by James McCoy, Jr., to
 5   implement the program; and
 6         WHEREAS, The first class of Freedom House Ambulance Service
 7   recruits consisted of 25 Black men from the Hill District,
 8   providing employment opportunities while addressing gaps in
 9   emergency medical care; and
10         WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service combined emergency
11   medical care with a groundbreaking workforce development program
12   that trained underemployed Black men and women as paramedics;
13   and
14         WHEREAS, Dr. Peter Safar designed and implemented the
15   paramedic training program, consisting of a rigorous 32-week,
16   300-hour curriculum that included anatomy, physiology,
17   cardiopulmonary resuscitation, advanced first aid, nursing and
18   defensive driving; and
19         WHEREAS, The training program also required six weeks of
20   hospital-based instruction in operating rooms, emergency
21   departments, intensive care units, morgues and medical wards, as
22   well as participation in medical rounds and lectures alongside
23   resident physicians, standards that remain uncommon in many
24   emergency medical service programs; and
25         WHEREAS, Freedom House Ambulance Service began operations in
26   1968 with two ambulances and became known for its high standard
27   of care, earning the trust of the community and being frequently
28   requested by callers over police-operated ambulance services;
29   and
30         WHEREAS, In its first year of operation, Freedom House

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 1   Ambulance Service responded to nearly 5,800 emergency calls and
 2   transported more than 4,600 patients, primarily in Black
 3   neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh; and
 4      WHEREAS, The service is credited with saving at least 200
 5   lives in its first year and achieving response times of less
 6   than 10 minutes in neighborhoods that had long experienced
 7   delayed emergency response; and
 8      WHEREAS, The paramedic training standards and ambulance
 9   design innovations pioneered by Freedom House Ambulance Service
10   influenced emergency medical service curricula and operational
11   models in other jurisdictions and contributed to the development
12   of modern emergency medical systems; and
13      WHEREAS, Despite its success and profound impact, Freedom
14   House Ambulance Service ceased operations on October 15, 1975,
15   after the City of Pittsburgh ended its contract to establish a
16   city-operated ambulance service; and
17      WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh's ambulance service was
18   modeled on the experience of Freedom House Ambulance Service but
19   employed a largely white workforce, and extensive lobbying was
20   required to secure employment opportunities for some Freedom
21   House paramedics despite their training and experience; and
22      WHEREAS, The legacy of Freedom House Ambulance Service
23   reflects a significant development in public health and
24   emergency medicine in this Commonwealth, as well as innovation
25   in the face of discrimination, originating in Pennsylvania and
26   changing the course of emergency medical care worldwide;
27   therefore be it
28      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize "Black
29   History Month" in Pennsylvania by commemorating the recently
30   passed 50th anniversary of the closure of Freedom House

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1   Ambulance Service; and be it further
2      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives acknowledge the
3   roles of the paramedics, medical leaders and community members
4   from the Hill District who made Freedom House Ambulance Service
5   possible and notes the service's lasting influence on emergency
6   medical services, workforce opportunity and the health and
7   dignity of communities across this Commonwealth and beyond.




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