American Sirens

The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics

De: Kevin Hazzard

Narrado por: Gilbert Glenn Brown

The extraordinary story of an unjustly forgotten group of Black men in Pittsburgh who became the first paramedics in America, saving lives and changing the course of emergency medicine around the world

Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now.

In American Sirens, acclaimed journalist and paramedic Kevin Hazzard tells the dramatic story of how a group of young, undereducated Black men forged a new frontier of healthcare. He follows a rich cast of characters that includes John Moon, an orphan who found his calling as a paramedic; Peter Safar, the Nobel Prize-nominated physician who invented CPR and realized his vision for a trained ambulance service; and Nancy Caroline, the idealistic young doctor who turned a scrappy team into an international leader. At every turn, Freedom House battled racism—from the community, the police, and the government. Their job was grueling, the rules made up as they went along, their mandate nearly impossible—and yet despite the long odds and fierce opposition, they succeeded spectacularly. Never-before revealed in full, this is a rich and troubling hidden history of the Black origins of America’s paramedics, a special band of dedicated essential workers, who stand ready to serve day and night on the line between life and death for every one of us.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A gripping story of the people, places, and times that led to the development of Freedom House Ambulance Service, a Pittsburgh-based group of Black men whose efforts laid the foundation for the emergency medical services we take for granted today. Like many chapters of Black history, American Sirens is equal parts tragic and inspiring.” —Damon Tweedy, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine

"A riveting portrait...a fascinating and deeply rewarding study of triumph in the face of adversity."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A work that a reads like a novel. Hazzard relates how a group of African American visionaries, most of whom had been trapped in menial jobs, saw what health-policy experts did not . . . After their new discipline proved its value in saving lives, organized emergency care, like so many arenas in US medicine, excluded the Black men who invented it and effaced the history of what all Americans owe them, but this riveting page-turner brings these medical heroes long-delayed acclaim.”
—Harriet Washington, NBCC Award Winning Author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present

"In a quintessentially American story that reads like a novel, Kevin Hazzard crafts an amazing story of an Austrian immigrant, an unlikely group of Black men, and a minority community in Pittsburgh who transformed paramedic and ambulance care throughout the United States . . . This heart-warming story is not just Black history, but American history, and every American truly owes the medics of Freedom House a debt of gratitude."
—Gretchen Sorin, Author of Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights

"Kevin Hazzard's revelatory American Sirens is a rich, vibrant and deeply human look into the wild journey of American innovation. Hazzard's exacting and expansive research is deeply present on every page, yet it feels invisible, as this electric story pulses, engages, and surprises like a great novel. Each chapter unlocks a new and important angle of this almost forgotten story, which makes it almost pathologically compelling to read. American Sirens brings a necessary spotlight to a fascinating, near-forgotten, and uniquely American tale."

—Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, New York Times bestselling author of Dr Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine

“An amazing book: a forgotten story about real life health care heroes inseparable from the ongoing tragedy of racism in America. Kevin Hazzard has performed a national service by writing American Sirens.”—Theresa Brown, RN, New York Times bestselling author of The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives

Deep, eye-opening, educational, life-changing . . . dramatic and engaging . . .

I reread (or listen second time to) almost no books I have ever read (or listened to) once before. But I look forward to listening to this one again. I have much to learn from it.

For those of us who desire breakthrough to a better society, I have a sense there are many lessons to be learned here.

But in a way, I have gotten ahead of myself. There are also multiple streams of history that Mr. Hazzard has put together in this fine feast of a book. I had no idea!

The history of public housing. The racial injustice. The destruction of human beings. The history of emergency medicine. . . . I am so grateful for what Mr. Hazzard has written! This is a life-changing book.

One last comment: I was just looking at the text of the Prologue—a very dramatic scene when I listened to it. But nowhere near as dramatic when I tried to read it myself. And then I realized, if I had tried to read the book on my own, I would not have been so enamored. My enthusiasm is very much also the result o Mr. Brown’s masterful narration. He caused the book to come alive as it did for me. So thank you, Gilbert Glenn Brown!

I never knew!

So glad to here this important part of the history of Paramedic’s. I’ve been a firefighter for 24 years and can’t believe this wasn’t discussed. Great book

Woow So Much Too Learn and Love

I’m so amazed by this book and the stories it tells. It a whole new world for this old white middle class woman. So glad to find this book. I heard about it on a podcast and wanted to get it for a friend, so I ordered a hard copy book and got an audiobook of the story for myself. What a great story. Thanks much

American History

So glad the book is in print. As I read the book I wondered if it was a movie. Keep thinking did I miss it?

A Must Read!

Excellent and in-depth approach to a complex subject. Fascinating, educational and inspiring. The historical approach draws the reader in as the story, and the impeding future unfold.

WOW

WOW..just WOW.. I have been in the Ems industry for 29 years and have only recently heard of the Freedom House Paramedics. After listening to this I’m kicking myself for not knowing this part of the history within my profession! If you are a paramedic or EMT please read this !!

Amazing Story

Hats off to all those Freedom House pioneers! A great book and a story that must live in history. Thank you for writing this story and for the wonderful Audible reading. I’m recommending to friends and family.

The Surprising Model for EMS Services

Kevin Hazzard’s retelling of the origins of effective EMS services based on the work of Peter Safar and Nancy Caroline is both fascinating and stomach churning. The obstacles they encountered in terms of dealing with narrow minded obstructionists is frustrating. The willingness of 24 people, predominantly African American, to endure the trials, tests, doubts, rejection, and tribulations associated with being the first class to receive this type of extensive training is both thrilling and harrowing..

I did not know any of the history. I found myself immersed in the individual tales of how people from such disparate areas of life came together and dedicated their lives for 8 years to making Freedom House an exemplary model.

Along with the details of the conflicts, the back door political haggling, the author brings to light how competing city agencies worked against the interests of serving the people of Pittsburgh. It will make all readers think what would it take to develop a service for those experiencing mental health crises.

Compelling and Thoughtful

This is an amazing story that too few people, especially in the emergency services sector, have ever heard about. Every future EMT or Paramedic should at least know the history of their profession. I dare say that very few do.

Terrific storytelling !

Enjoyed every minute with this narrator sharing the extraordinary story of Freedom House & its massive influence on ambulance services.