American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-21 20:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kevin Hazzard
- ISBN：0306926075
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Laura
，
I am so glad I read this book， this is a story that needs to be told and heard！ I’ve picked up multiple books in the last two months covering the time period off the civil rights movement and have learned SO much。 This book covered the history of the first paramedic ambulance service in the US- and initially， all of the members were African American。 I really appreciated all of the background on what life what like for African Americans growing up in the US at this time， especially in major citi I am so glad I read this book， this is a story that needs to be told and heard！ I’ve picked up multiple books in the last two months covering the time period off the civil rights movement and have learned SO much。 This book covered the history of the first paramedic ambulance service in the US- and initially， all of the members were African American。 I really appreciated all of the background on what life what like for African Americans growing up in the US at this time， especially in major cities and slums。 It covered the sobering topic of urban renewal， when white city leaders would claim they intended to knock down the slums to build better affordable housing and create jobs- but instead they destroyed all of the housing and put up stadiums and shopping malls and never created additional housing， forcing already poor families to be packed into tighter areas。 I also was pretty stunned to learn how recently ambulances had skilled medical professionals on board。 Freedom House was the first ambulance service in the US in 1967 to have staff trained beyond just simple first aid。 Until that point， if you called for an ambulance you would get police officers or staff from the MORGUE who would stuff you in the back of the ambulance as fast as possible and then leave you unattended in the back until they dumped you at the local hospital。 Needless to say， there were significant numbers of preventable deaths or injuries that occurred prior to establishing paramedics in ambulances。 I was even more surprised to see how resistant the government was to making this change despite ample evidence that paramedics were needed。 The most shocking part of this story to me as a medical professional was the discussion of how rescue breathing and CPR was proven to be an evidence-based technique。 Prior to the establishment of CPR as a standard for cardiac or respiratory arrest， the two techniques for ventilating a patient not breathing were to lay them on their back and raise their arms over their head and then press on their chest， or to lay them face down with their head turned to the side。 Yup， that’s it。 Peter Safar is one of the “fathers” of modern CPR and was also the man who established the first paramedic program， Freedom House。 To prove that rescue breathing worked， he found a bunch of volunteers who agreed to be sedated and paralyzed and rescue breaths were given to them by a group of boy scouts who had been taught the method right before the experiment。 Wild！！！ This was an excellent read and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in prehospital or emergency medicine！ 。。。more
Cynthia
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This is the story of the beginning of organized EMS， specifically the 1st Paramedic crews on dedicated ambulances that operated out of the station 'Freedom House'， which began in Pittsburgh in the late 1960's。 These early crews modeled the Fed。 Standard for EMT & Paramedic training， equipment， standards， & procedures that are still used today。 The book also talks about Dr Peter Safar， who might be known as 'the father of CPR & EMS' & is 'more or less the inventor of the ICU'， providing the impet This is the story of the beginning of organized EMS， specifically the 1st Paramedic crews on dedicated ambulances that operated out of the station 'Freedom House'， which began in Pittsburgh in the late 1960's。 These early crews modeled the Fed。 Standard for EMT & Paramedic training， equipment， standards， & procedures that are still used today。 The book also talks about Dr Peter Safar， who might be known as 'the father of CPR & EMS' & is 'more or less the inventor of the ICU'， providing the impetus & education for this new field。。。。。。。& also gives the history of the Resusci Anne doll that we've all probably learned CPR on！ The book's title is wholly appropriate。I really liked this book， & it actually probably deserves a 5 star rating for the wealth of history & information that it contains。。。。。。。& it's so very easily read too。。。。。easily read non-fiction is a fun way to learn！ I received an e-ARC from Hachette Books via NetGalley for review。 These are my own opinions。 。。。more
Morgan
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American Sirens tells the history of the Black men who made up Freedom House， the first paramedic group in America。 It’s amazing how effective the service was while battling finding funding， developing effective training， and a mayor that did his best to get rid of the service。 I was vaguely aware of Freedom House going into this book and I learned so much more about the group as well as how awful ambulance services were before the 1970s。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the e-ARC。
Michelle
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I am so， so grateful to Hachette for this ARC！This book！ Immediately in contention for best book of 2022 for me。 This was so very well done。 I had read Hazzard's previous One Thousand Naked Strangers and loved it。 This is just an amazing story and I knew nothing at all about any of it。 And I love the way the story was told， too， by following the lives of several of the key people who established the Freedom House program or worked for it。 The writing made it so easy to just fall into the book。 N I am so， so grateful to Hachette for this ARC！This book！ Immediately in contention for best book of 2022 for me。 This was so very well done。 I had read Hazzard's previous One Thousand Naked Strangers and loved it。 This is just an amazing story and I knew nothing at all about any of it。 And I love the way the story was told， too， by following the lives of several of the key people who established the Freedom House program or worked for it。 The writing made it so easy to just fall into the book。 Narrative nonfiction at its finest。 In a way it reminds me of Eric Larson's books， that delve into the lives of the people before the event and you are so invested you can't put them down （although their writing styles are different。） I just can't praise or recommend this too much， y'all！ If you or a loved one have ever been helped by modern EMS systems， you owe this group of people in Pittsburgh a lot。 This story needed to be told and I'm thrilled with this book。 。。。more
Pam M。
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My grandfather died in the back of a hearse looking ambulance on December 30， 1976。 I rode in the passenger seat as a terrified， 16-year-old granddaughter， praying that my true father figure would be ok。 I wasn't from the area and had been visiting my grandparents over the Christmas holidays。 I climbed up in the seat to look through the window at him only to see someone sitting beside him doing nothing and him very。。。very。。。pale。 The driver told me to sit down， so I did。 He then asked me if I ne My grandfather died in the back of a hearse looking ambulance on December 30， 1976。 I rode in the passenger seat as a terrified， 16-year-old granddaughter， praying that my true father figure would be ok。 I wasn't from the area and had been visiting my grandparents over the Christmas holidays。 I climbed up in the seat to look through the window at him only to see someone sitting beside him doing nothing and him very。。。very。。。pale。 The driver told me to sit down， so I did。 He then asked me if I new the shortcut/shorter route to the hospital。 In my panic and despair， I said I did not even though I had been down it many times。 To my shock and dismay， the driver DID NOT take the shortcut but took the long way around instead。 My grandmother， driving her own car， beat the ambulance to the hospital by a good 15 minutes！！ My beloved grandfather was DOA。 For 20 plus years， I thought I killed him because I didn't know the shortcut。 It almost killed me many， many times。 I didn't know that this grown man。。。。this ambulance driver。。。had the responsibility to get him there as fast as possible and to NOT rely on a distraught Child to determine the course of action！！！After reading this book。。。mainly with my jaw on the floor。。。。I finally saw and could comprehend the IGNORANCE and complete DISREGARD for human life that existed back then。 How there was NO respect， protocol， empathy， or training for this necessity。。。across the nation！！ The blatant racism and disrespectful treatment these wonderful men got。。。was no surprise given the generation I was brought up in。。。but very hurtful， nonetheless to read what they endured when they were trying to give the greatest gift ever。。。that of life。。。to those in desperate need of help。I would like for these men and women to know， that their healing continues。 After I read this book， I was at peace， and finally able to let my grandfather rest in the same way。。。because I didn't kill him。 IGNORANCE did。 Thank you all for your service and contributions to humanity。。。and last but not least， to the author Kevin Hazzard for his extensive work and making these heroes known。God bless you。 。。。more
Samiha Reza
，
"In Pittsburgh， in 1966， twenty-four Black men from the Hill answered a call for help and in the process changed the world。" American Sirens is non-fiction that reads like a novel due to Hazzard's prose and the care he put into bringing these real-life heroes to life on paper。 It's about the Freedom House Ambulance Service， the first of its kind and the hallmark of EMS to this day， but unfairly， cruelly， the majority don't even know of its existence。 I didn't expect this book to impact me the "In Pittsburgh， in 1966， twenty-four Black men from the Hill answered a call for help and in the process changed the world。" American Sirens is non-fiction that reads like a novel due to Hazzard's prose and the care he put into bringing these real-life heroes to life on paper。 It's about the Freedom House Ambulance Service， the first of its kind and the hallmark of EMS to this day， but unfairly， cruelly， the majority don't even know of its existence。 I didn't expect this book to impact me the way it did。 I received an advance reading copy from Hachette Books and was interested due to my own experiences working as an EMT。 I expected an educational objective work on a piece of EMS history; maybe a little dry， but worth gritting my teeth through to learn about something I wouldn't learn elsewhere。 Instead， I cried and laughed and didn't want to put the book down。 I felt outraged at the abuses these men experienced， felt pride for their accomplishments， for becoming the blueprint for the generations to come。 I found myself grateful for their perseverance so that I can feel that same awe and pride treating a patient in an ambulance today， as a brown woman， over 50 years later。 This is a book that I want in the hands of every EMT， paramedic， or medical student hoping to be an emergency medicine resident someday sitting in a classroom。 It feels that foundational。 Every student should know to whom they owe the privilege of saving a life on the street today。 Because it is a privilege and honor， to walk into someone's home and see them at their lowest and then be entrusted with something as precious as their lives。 The Freedom House paramedics knew that because they had to fight for it every inch of the way。 I enjoyed how this book's focus was on the people who made EMS happen， and less so on the nitty-gritty medical details。 Hazzard includes the important ones to show the realities of street medicine， but for a book about such a vital， unfairly forgotten piece of history， I'm glad that it didn't devolve into the trauma/gore fetishization seen in much of medical non-fiction （and fiction） these days。 Instead， Hazzard emphasizes the very human reasons why individuals like Safar， Caroline， and Moon worked so hard to see Freedom House succeed and the illogical and racist policies that hindered it， ultimately leading to the unjust erasure of these brilliant paramedics。 From my time with people in the medical field， it seems like sometimes medical professionals forget that medicine should be just as much about the dignity and humanity of the patients they serve as it is about the anatomy and physiology of the body。 Freedom House was the original depiction of what could and should be community health care， in a world where those who needed care most were ignored or misused by authority。 Today's America shows how essential learning about Freedom House is， from the constant waves of police brutality seen on the news to the current toxic environment of the public safety triad with fire， police， and EMS， or the "white frat" culture that permeates the field。 Recognizing the history that has led us to today is critical in ensuring that representation in medicine continues to grow and having the Freedom House paramedics and their work at the forefront of our minds ensures we have the right heroes to thank for it。 American Sirens in my opinion is a must-read and one that I won't forget。 。。。more
Heather
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I was so excited to receive an advance copy of this to review！ （This comes out Sept 20， 2022）Why don’t more people know about America’s first paramedics？ This nonfiction book reads like fiction。 Hazzard does a fantastic job of painting a scene that portrays facts and information in a way that feels like cinema。 If you don’t normally read nonfiction- give this book a shot。As a Pittsburgher， I was embarrassed to learn that I didn’t know about Freedom House and the origins of America’s paramedics。 I was so excited to receive an advance copy of this to review！ （This comes out Sept 20， 2022）Why don’t more people know about America’s first paramedics？ This nonfiction book reads like fiction。 Hazzard does a fantastic job of painting a scene that portrays facts and information in a way that feels like cinema。 If you don’t normally read nonfiction- give this book a shot。As a Pittsburgher， I was embarrassed to learn that I didn’t know about Freedom House and the origins of America’s paramedics。 In my opinion， this book should be required reading for anyone in Pittsburgh or the medical field （and doubly so for those that are both！）。 If you just want to cozy up with a good book and learn a few things in the process- this book is for you！I teared up multiple times when reading， either from happiness or sadness。 The small wins that Freedom House had made me punch the air in victory。 I felt like I was along for the ride in one of Freedom House’s ambulances， speeding through the streets of a 1970s ‘burgh， We， as a nation， owe a lot to Freedom House and the Black men who worked tirelessly to save lives。 They were GOOD- quite possibly the BEST lifesavers in the country and yet so few people know their stories。 Read this book and spread the word！！ 。。。more
Amanda Hupe
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“The names and faces， the voices of those who decades ago took a leap of faith and started a revolution that saved countless lives across the world: nobody knew them。 No one heard them。 Like the uprising in 1968， they were bottled up and held at bay， their voices silenced。”AMERICAN SIRENSThank you， Kevin Hazzard and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book。 It can be added to your shelf on September 20th， 2022。American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard is a nonfiction account that reads like a “The names and faces， the voices of those who decades ago took a leap of faith and started a revolution that saved countless lives across the world: nobody knew them。 No one heard them。 Like the uprising in 1968， they were bottled up and held at bay， their voices silenced。”AMERICAN SIRENSThank you， Kevin Hazzard and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book。 It can be added to your shelf on September 20th， 2022。American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard is a nonfiction account that reads like a novel。 It is about the true story of the Black Men who became America’s First Paramedics。 The book begins with a brief explanation of the history of pre-hospital medical care。 In America， during the 1960s and before， if there was an emergency there was a good chance that the victim would not make it to the hospital。 There were ambulances mostly manned by reluctant police and fireman just picking up a few hours。 There was no mandatory training。 The person who would change all that is Peter Safar， the man credited with pioneering CPR。 He would set the standards of pre-hospital care。 However， it is the men who were the first paramedics that would make the difference。Freedom House was founded in 1967。 Phil Hallan， the co-founder， wanted to create opportunities for Black men in Pittsburg。 Twenty-five Black men were recruited from The Hill District。 They went through rigorous medical training and would care for the local neighborhoods saving countless lives while facing pushback from politicians and racism。This book is a quick read。 It is filled with important stories， yet short chapters。 I found that I could have kept on reading。 It was incredible reading about Peter Safar， Phil Hallan， and Nancy Caroline， but the part I looked forward to the most was how these men revolutionized ambulance care。 I do wish there were more stories involving these men， whose names we do not know。 This book would make an incredible documentary and I would love to learn more about these incredible men and women。 Or better yet， a fictional series making their names known。 Here are their names:Michael BlackmanHarold BrownMitchell BrownWalter BrownDavid ClemensArthur DavisRay DavisClyde DunsonJohn FranklinHarvey GandyTom GraceHarold HollandAddie JohnsonEugene KeyJames KyteGeorge McCaryThomas MitchellJohn MoonDaniel NickensWilliam PorterRaymond PridgenRon RaginDavid RayzerCurtis ScottErnest SimpsonCarl StatenWallace SullivanDavid ThomasThomas WadeKenneth Williams 。。。more
Alicia
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Imagine living in a world before ambulances。 Where if you have any type of emergency you are REALLY on your own。 The cops can come， and they might take you to the hospital。 But， they may not。 Anything worth having is worth fighting for and the black men who made up Freedom House fought hard。 I really enjoyed learning about their journey， the beginning of CPR and the start of a service that changed the world。 This isn’t a story of what the 911 calls are like。 You get a few stories like that but t Imagine living in a world before ambulances。 Where if you have any type of emergency you are REALLY on your own。 The cops can come， and they might take you to the hospital。 But， they may not。 Anything worth having is worth fighting for and the black men who made up Freedom House fought hard。 I really enjoyed learning about their journey， the beginning of CPR and the start of a service that changed the world。 This isn’t a story of what the 911 calls are like。 You get a few stories like that but this is the history of EMS。 Beautifully written and it details the mind blowing efforts of men who refused to give up。 。。。more
Michael
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