American Sirens

Starred review from June 27, 2022
Journalist and former paramedic Hazzard (A Thousand Naked Strangers) paints a riveting portrait of Freedom House EMS, a pioneering group of Black paramedics in 1970s Pittsburgh. Expertly contextualizing the group’s achievements within the contentious racial climate and archaic medical practices of the era, Hazzard spotlights medic John Moon, who “loved Angela Davis and the afro but polite to the point (almost) of deference”; Peter Safar, an émigré Austrian anesthesiologist inspired by his 11-year-old daughter’s death from an asthma attack to reimagine ambulance services and paramedic training; and Freedom House medical director Nancy Caroline, who was tapped by Safar to revamp his training program. Hazzard explains how the 1966 death of former Pittsburgh mayor David Lawrence highlighted the inadequacy of ambulance care provided by the city’s police department, which also had an “acrimonious” relationship with residents of Pittsburgh’s predominantly African American neighborhood, the Hill District. He also documents Freedom House’s battles with a stubborn mayor and police leaders, and the stirring stories of Black paramedics who developed methods now used by ambulance departments around the world. The result is a fascinating and deeply rewarding study of triumph in the face of adversity. Agent: Alice Martell, Martell Agency.

August 15, 2022
A mostly inspiring account of the early days of American emergency services and the Black men who advanced the level of care and attention. As journalist and former paramedic Hazzard points out, until the 1970s, if someone suffered a medical crisis, a call for help brought the police or perhaps a hearse from the local mortuary. If the victim was bleeding, struggling to breath, or in cardiac arrest, the untrained attendants did nothing; their job was transportation to a hospital. Critics maintained that this "swoop and scoop" process led to thousands of preventable deaths each year. Central to reform was Peter Safar, a fiercely dedicated anesthesiologist who tried to establish an emergency ambulance service, a plan killed by police and doctor opposition. In 1967, a breakthrough arrived in the form of the Freedom House, a tiny nonprofit "with the long-term goal of fostering Black-owned businesses." Galvanized after receiving a federal grant, Safar organized an intense, nine-month course to teach emergency procedures. Forty-four Black men joined the first class; 24 emerged in early 1968 and went to work. Hazzard recounts many dramatic rescues along with the lives of individual volunteers, often high school dropouts with difficult pasts, who became skilled paramedics. Within years, cities throughout the nation established their own emergency services. Yet this is not a story with a happy ending. Peter Flaherty, the newly elected White mayor, cut the Freedom House budget and inflicted petty aggravations--e.g., forbidding ambulances from operating sirens downtown. Stubbornly uncooperative, police continued to respond to calls and, if they arrived first, carried the victims away without emergency treatment. In 1974, Flaherty announced expansion of city emergency services, but it would be run by the police. As a result, Freedom House disbanded. Faced with vigorous opposition, Flaherty agreed to hire every employee who wanted to join, but those who transferred were harassed and given subordinate positions under men with less training. Good history and an admirable effort to document the achievements of a pioneering Black organization.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2022

If readers have ever wondered about the history of paramedicine and how it can transform lives (paramedic and patient alike) look no further than this wonderful, enlightening work by former paramedic Hazzard (A Thousand Naked Strangers). Prior to the mid-1960s, ambulance services were either nonexistent or haphazard. Even the most critical patients were driven to the hospital by morticians or police officers with no medical training. In Pittsburgh, Black residents did not trust the police department nor were they getting proper medical care. This problem led leaders of an organization called Freedom House to collaborate with an Austrian-born doctor, Peter Safar, to create an ambulance service staffed with trained Black paramedics. This revolutionary idea became so successful that other cities and towns began to replicate its program and standards. Through extensive research and interviews, the author successfully incorporates the checkered history of paramedicine with the racial and social history of the mid-20th century. Furthermore, he engages the reader with the personal stories of all those involved in the development of the new system. VERDICT Hazzard has fashioned an exceptional work about radical changes in health care and the importance of community in dark times.--Leah K. Huey

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.