87 | Kevin Hazzard | American Sirens | The great story of Freedom House and EMS origins | The good Samaritan | Early emphasis on intubation

Kevin Hazzard 

Author of A Thousand Naked Strangers and American Sirens (you can find these on Amazon or wherever books are sold). You can find Kevin Hazzard at KevinHazzard.com

Kevin talks about the story Jesus told of the good Samaritan as really the first example of EMS. Jesus tells this story in response to a lawyer asking him how to obtain eternal life. A man was attacked on the road and left for dead. Many people that society perceives as “good” pass by this man but a Samaritan took the time to stop, dress his wounds and takes him somewhere to put a roof over his head and allow him to heal

Kevin talks about how society has never put sustained efforts into saving people outside of the hospital until the 60’s

The white paper published in the 60’s indicated that you were more likely to survive a gunshot wound in the Vietnam war than in the streets of the United States because you would have someone trained in first aid at your side

There was significant emphasis on intubation for early paramedics. This was a skill very important to the early physicians because they knew the life saving potential 

We talk about the evolution of intubation and how emphasis seems to be changing and the important of still training on this skill because it can be very difficult and high stress

I think it is important to increase training rather than remove a skill set from paramedics

We talk about video options for intubation and the potential future of training

The first paramedics in American Sirens were black men that served their community called “The Hill”

Pittsburgh in the 1960’s was a very difficult city for African Americans. Jobs were not available. They were told they had no value. Then Freedom House ambulance gave them a purpose designed by the father of CPR himself, Peter Safar

Going from not worthy of anything to being trusted with paramedicine at the highest level for your own neighbors, your own community

The first call they run is in the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination

Peter Safar, the father of CPR and an anesthesiologist, designed the early ambulances in a configuration that is still used today, a captains chair because he wanted good access to the airway

Their first medical director, Nancy Caroline, wrote the foundational EMT education text book

The great tragedy is no one can really tell you about Freedom House ambulance until now, the story was intentionally buried and forgotten

“This need to be corrected,” Kevin Hazzard tells the important story

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Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.