The Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (PEMS) provides emergency medical services and medically directed rescue services for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a bureau of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Administration, Fire, and Animal Care and Control. The DPS is responsible for 55.5 square miles (144 km2) with a population of 305,841 as of the 2013 Census estimation. The Bureau was founded in 1975 by then current city administration, absorbing Freedom House Ambulance. Pittsburgh, in addition to being the birthplace of prehospital care, is one of few cities in the United States where "medically directed rescue" is practiced.
Pittsburgh EMS provides medically directed technical, tactical, and heavy rescue services for the City.
History
Prior to any formal prehospital care system in the United States, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and local funeral homes provided "scoop and run" transportation services, entirely lacking any resemblance of modern medical care; instead, they provided only the 'run' portion. The PBP commonly utilized their "paddy waggons" due to their versatility, and the funeral homes doubled hearses as ambulances to transport the sick and dying to the hospital, and more than likely, later to the funeral home. In 1968, Freedom House Ambulance was born out of an existing organization, Freedom House Enterprises, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing and supporting black-run businesses in the city. Freedom House Ambulance provided emergency care and some rescue services in the City's Hill District and other predominantly black neighborhoods, as the police already covered responses to the rest of the city, composed mostly of affluent white communities. The seemingly "crazy" dreams of an anesthesiologist combined with the passion of a philanthropic board member and unwavering dedication of a med-school fellow, would catapult Pittsburgh and Freedom House to the world stage, whether they knew it or not. The work of Doctors Peter Safar, Nancy Caroline, Ron Stewart and Paul Paris, along with that of Phil Hallen, President of the Maurice Falk Foundation, soon lead to an operation the likes of which the world had never seen; to save countless lives on The Hill and elsewhere, employ young black people and combat racism. Before its demise, Freedom House would eventually become a shining example of prehospital care and the use of paramedics in the field for the rest of the nation and eventually the world to follow.
On the 15th of October 1975, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services began coverage and delivery of prehospital care and rescue services to the City of Pittsburgh.
On April 5th 2023, Amera Gilchrist was sworn in as the 8th Chief of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. She is the first African-American and first woman to lead the bureau.
Organization
The Bureau of EMS is separated into three divisions: the Ambulance Division, Rescue Division and Training Division, each of which are commanded by a Division Chief.
The Division Chief responsible for Training, is also responsible for Special Events and Emergency Preparedness. The Division Chief coordinates with the City's Special Event Office of the DPS Administration Bureau to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage for all permitted events within the city limits. This can include staffing venues such as PNC Park and Heinz Field, homes to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers respectively, providing coverage for the Pittsburgh Marathon and many 5K and 10K races around Pittsburgh. (including the nationally recognized Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race),