The Importance of Pre-Hospital Medicine

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Peter Safer's 11-year-old daughter suffered a severe asthma attack and was on her way to the hospital. By the time they get there, she's in full cardiac arrest,. She's not breathing, her heart is not beating. And I cannot imagine this, but Safer actually personally takes over care. He wanted to find a way to bring the emergency room out into the world.

As recently as 1965, if you had a medical emergency, the people who showed up at your door would be volunteer firefighters, police officers, or undertakers with a hearse. Today, the story of how a group of Black men from Pittsburgh changed that.

Kevin Hazzard’s book is American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics.

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