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.

©2022 Kevin Hazzard (P)2022 Hachette Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

“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

Incredible story

This history is an amazing story of pioneers in street medicine that have largely been forgotten. Hazzard’s account is gripping and the narrator is superb. Readers and listeners will find it hard to put this one down.

great untold story

This is a good one. The tales of Freedom House made this audiobook hard to put down. The writing and the narrator were also excellent.

must listen

An honest and amazing story. well written and true to life. very worthwhile listen!

Incredible! A Must-listen

Incredible true story that every American should know. Expertly told in a gripping, narrative style. Narration was also extremely well-done. One of the best audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Could not put down!

Amazing story.

Have been in EMS for 20 years and never heard or knew of our roots until now. Must read/listen.

History and Truth...Ignored and Hidden

This forgotten truth should be a must read for everyone.
I am so happy I selected this book. I recommend it.

Amazing history lesson

I’m so glad I took a chance on this book. What an amazing story, one I’ve never heard! This is a part of medical history that should be shouted out loud. The narrator is so good and very expressive. Recommend.