Mayor Ed Gainey nominates Amera Gilchrist as next EMS chief
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Today, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey nominated Amera Gilchrist to be the next chief of Pittsburgh's Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
In a press conference on Thursday, the mayor said he was proud to nominate the first Black female to the role.
While the city waits to see who Mayor Gainey wants to be the head of the city's police department, there is no doubt who wants to be the head of Pittsburgh's EMS department.
Gainey, along with other city leaders, nominated Amera Gilchrist.
"It is an honor for me to stand here and introduce the next Chief of Emergency Medical Services - Chief Gilchrist!" The mayor jubilantly said.
Gilchrist is a Pittsburgh native and graduate of both Oliver High School and Robert Morris University, as well as continuing her education a Point Park University.
She served the city for almost 24 years as a paramedic and EMS worker before being named the deputy chief in 2018.
She's excited for the nomination and to lead the department into the future.
"I am honored to be Mayor Gainey's nominee to run the Bureau of EMS," she said. "To the citizens, I will not let you down. To the bureau, I will fight for you. I will always fight for you and I will fight along with you."
If confirmed, which is likely, she will replace the current chief, Ronald V. Romano who announced his retirement just a few weeks ago. Gilchrist would become the first woman of color to serve as EMS chief in the city's history and said she plans to modernize the department and leave it better than when she found it.
"This bureau has always been great and on the edge of pre-hospital care, but we can all do better," Gilchrist said. "Once my term as chief has ended, I will leave this bureau better than it is now. That should always be the goal of a great leader."
This nomination will be brought in front of the city council very soon and then the nomination will likely be turned into a confirmation.