Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 21, 2025
This week’s episode of The Pitt, written by longtime ER writer Joe Sachs, tackled a little-known but important piece of medical history in a way that honestly felt like old-school Aaron Sorkin on Sports Night (that is a compliment here). The episode followed an older man with dementia who was brought into the hospital after his pacemaker malfunctioned. As his treatment progressed, he revealed that he had once been a member of the Freedom House Ambulance Service — an all-Black paramedic crew that pioneered modern emergency medical care.
The character’s memory, aided by his son’s recollections, was spotty but powerful: Freedom House was the first ambulance service of its kind, setting the foundation for emergency response as we know it today. But as the character noted in the episode, despite its groundbreaking contributions, the program was shut down after just eight years, its innovations absorbed by the city, and its paramedics replaced by white personnel.
The details in the episode are historically spot on. Freedom House was founded in 1967 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a predominantly Black neighborhood. At the time, ambulance services were inconsistent, often handled by police officers with little to no medical training. Freedom House paramedics, however, were trained extensively under the guidance of Dr. Peter Safar — often called the “father of CPR,” as noted in The Pitt. In addition to CPR, they introduced many life-saving techniques still in use today like intubation and the idea of providing medical care in transit.
Despite their expertise, however, the paramedics of Freedom House faced systemic racism at every turn. In 1975, the racist mayor of Pittsburgh shut down the program, transitioning to a city-run ambulance service to appease the cops. None of Freedom House’s Black paramedics were retained, despite their superior training. Their contributions went largely unrecognized for decades.
For those interested in learning more, the documentary Freedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders offers a deeper dive into this story:
I will also note that this week’s episode managed to be both devastating and inspiring, and Brandon Keener’s reaction when Dr. Robby asked to go to his son’s funeral absolutely leveled me.
The Pitt airs weekly on Max. It’s the best thing on TV right now.
