Pittsburgh EMS overcomes EMT shortage through new training programs, but paramedics remain understaffed
Emergency medical services are experiencing staffing shortages across the country, including in Pittsburgh, but the city is making great strides with boosting some of those crews, specifically EMTs.
In one year, the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS took significant steps to improve recruitment and training, so much so the chief told KDKA-TV, they're now overstaffed with EMTs, in part due to new training programs. They celebrated their growth at the City-County building on Friday.
Growing up in McKees Rocks, Marva Taylor always knew she wanted to work in health care, and while she first thought she would be a nurse, that quickly changed.
"Helping, saving people's lives, that's all I've ever wanted to do," Taylor said.
She's one of the six people who graduated from the second class of the Freedom House EMT Academy, six months after the inaugural class of nine.
"This is kind of like a first step. I'm getting, like, hands-on in the field," Taylor said.
It's named after the first EMS service in the U.S., founded in the city in the 1960s, that was staffed by African Americans providing emergency medical care to the Hill District when no one else would.
"The legacy of Freedom House, I plan on having that continue so we don't forget our past, but we also want to create a new legacy for Pittsburgh EMS," said EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist.
Gilchrist said that legacy is now continuing with a new advanced EMT class that began last month, which allows them to take EMTs off the streets. It's something she said they were only able to do because they're now overstaffed with EMTs, with the academy playing a major factor. She said they hired about 36 employees last year, including both EMTs and paramedics.
"We have never had as many emergency medical units on the street than we have now," Gilchrist said. "Typically, we would have 13, sometimes 15. We have 18 between the BLS, which is the basic life support, and the paramedics, which are the advanced life support."
Eventually, Gilchrist hopes to start a paramedic school as well, as those crews remain understaffed.
"I started here as an EMT, and I wanted to remove those barriers for anybody else that wanted to go further in their career," Gilchrist said.
She trying to keep history alive as they look towards the future.
"Just as they wanted to seem like they were able to do more and be more, I want to be the same too. I feel like it's my job to do that," Taylor said.
Chief Gilchrist said the third Freedom House class is expected to start training in a month or two.
