‘You never know what God has in store for you’: Pittsburgh’s EMS chief appears on 4 The Record
Amera Gilchrist is the first woman and the first Black person to be head of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medical Services
WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M JANELLE HALL TODAY THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF A PITTSBURGH TRAILBLAZER, AMEERA GILCHRIST, THE FIRST WOMAN AND THE FIRST BLACK PERSON TO BECOME THE EMS CHIEF IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. I SIT DOWN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER BACKGROUND AND HOW SHE EARNED THIS VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN EMERGENCY SERVICES. CHIEF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. LIKE I WAS SAYING, THESE KIND OF SEGMENTS ARE SO NICE BECAUSE WE GET THE CHANCE TO SEE YOU ON TV AND OFTEN WE SEE YOU IN IN SERIOUS MOMENTS AND IN TRAGIC MOMENTS. THIS GIVES US A CHANCE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOU, BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. AND I WANT TO START BY ASKING YOU WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO THIS FIELD IN THE FIRST PLACE? OH, THAT’S LOADED. IT WAS BY HAPPENSTANCE THAT I CAME UPON A CAREER IN EMS, OR EVEN WANTING TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS FIELD. AT THE TIME, I WAS A SINGLE MOM. I HAD A THREE YEAR OLD SON WHO WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM, AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF MY, YOU KNOW, YOUNG ADULTHOOD, DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. AND, YOU KNOW, BEING A MOM, SOMETIMES YOU GET FRUSTRATED THINKING YOU HAVE EVERYTHING COMING AT YOU AT ONCE. AND I WAS ON A PORT AUTHORITY BUS, AND HE WAS JUST MAKING NOISE. AND I’M IN MY THOUGHTS AND JUST THINKING ABOUT MY LIFE AND WHAT I HAD TO DO TOMORROW AND THE NEXT DAY. AND HE WAS JUST SO FUSSY THAT I REACHED IN MY PURSE AND GAVE HIM A PIECE OF CANDY. AND WHEN I GAVE IT TO HIM, HE WAS QUIET. I DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS CHOKING. AND YOU KNOW, I STARTED SCREAMING, SOMEBODY HELP ME, HELP ME! AND SOMEONE JUST SAID, PUT HIM DOWN. AND I PUT HIM DOWN SO HARD THAT THE CANDY ACTUALLY POPPED OUT OF HIS MOUTH. AT THAT TIME, I WAS WORKING AT A BANK AND IT WAS JUST A 9 TO 5. JUST A JOB. JUST, YOU KNOW, AND THERE WAS SOMEONE THERE THAT WAS STUDYING TO BE A PARAMEDIC. AND I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THE PICTURES AND JUST LEARNING ABOUT THE CAREER. AND THEN I SUBSEQUENTLY WENT INTO EMT SCHOOL AND THEN WENT STRAIGHT INTO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL. SO THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT MOMENT THAT THERE WAS I WOULD NEVER I NEVER WANTED TO BE CAUGHT IN THAT SITUATION AGAIN. AND A FUNNY STORY IS THAT ONE OF MY VERY FIRST BAD CALLS IS A PARAMEDIC, WAS TREATING A YOUNG MAN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHO WAS CHOKING ON STEAK. IT WAS ALMOST THE EXACT SAME SCENARIO, BUT AT THAT TIME I HAD THE TOOLS TO KNOW WHAT TO DO, SO WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE HIS LIFE. SO IT’S LIKE A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT. SO WOULD YOU SAY IT WAS? IT WAS LIKE A MOMENT AS A MOM WHERE IT WAS ABOUT SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE THAT ENABLED YOU TO BE PREPARED FOR ANY SITUATION THAT YOU BRING TO THE JOB. ABSOLUTELY. THAT CONFIDENCE THAT YOU GET KNOWING WHAT TO DO IN CERTAIN INSTANCES, IT’S EMPOWERING. WHERE DID WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO WITH YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU WERE WORKING AT THE BANK AT THAT TIME? LET’S GO BACK BEFORE THE BANK. I WANTED TO BE A FASHION DESIGNER. I WANTED TO BE A BUSINESS WOMAN. YOU KNOW ALL THOSE THINGS WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER. SO I REALLY DIDN’T HAVE A GRASP ON WHAT IT WAS THAT I WANTED TO DO. SO I GOT MARRIED VERY YOUNG, SO I SORT OF GOT STUCK IN THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. SO IT’S KIDS MARRIAGE, YOU KNOW, WORK. SO YEAH, I DIDN’T REALLY HAVE A CLEAR CAREER CHOICE AT THAT POINT. AND THEN WHEN THAT HAPPENED WITH MY SON, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THAT WAS MY CALLING TO GET INTO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. WHERE DID YOU DID YOU GROW UP LOCALLY? AND DID YOU EVER I THINK I ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER. ENVISION YOURSELF LEADING A DEPARTMENT OF MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE NOW. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I NEVER ENVISIONED THAT. I GREW UP IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, WENT TO PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I STILL LIVE IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. BORN AND RAISED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CITY AND STILL RESIDE THERE NOW. BUT NO, I THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT IN MY MY DECK OF CARDS. SO. AND WHAT’S THE LESSON, DO YOU THINK MAYBE FOR YOUR CHILDREN OR FOR SOMEONE WATCHING IN TERMS OF LIKE SOMETIMES YOU DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE PATH IS GOING TO TAKE YOU AND YOU CAN’T ALWAYS PLAN AND PREDICT. I THINK THE LESSON THAT I WOULD GIVE TO MY, MY CHILDREN IS NEVER CLOSE THE DOOR, ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR YOU BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE CAREER PATH THAT I THOUGHT I WOULD GO DOWN, LET ALONE BEING THE CHIEF OF A BUREAU. SO, AND THERE ARE HISTORIC MOMENTS, AS YOU KNOW, WITH YOU BEING IN THIS POSITION. TELL ME ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO YOU. AND WHAT YOU HOPE PART OF YOUR LEGACY WILL BE. SO IF ANYONE IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE WAY PRE-HOSPITAL CARE WAS STARTED IN THE COUNTRY, IT WAS FROM A GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN AND BY THE HELP OF PETER SAFFER AND PHIL HOWLAND, THE BRAINCHILD OF HAVING BRINGING EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TO DISADVANTAGED RESIDENTS IN HILL DISTRICT. THAT’S THE WAY THE BUREAU STARTED AS FREEDOM HOUSE AMBULANCE SERVICE. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISBANDED BY THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AND TAKEN OVER, WHICH IS NOW THE BUREAU THAT I WORK IN. SINCE THE DISBANDING OF FREEDOM HOUSE, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A FEMALE NOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WHO HAS RISEN TO THE RANK OF CHIEF OF THE BUREAU. I REALLY AM HONORED TO SIT IN THIS ROLE TO HONOR ALL OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ME. SO IT IS VERY HUMBLING. IT IS VERY GRATIFYING. BUT IT’S ALSO A ROLE THAT I TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE I AM REPRESENTING THOSE THAT CAME BEFORE ME AND WHO HAD MADE SACRIFICES FOR ME TO SIT HERE. SO. IT’S POWERFUL. AND NOT ONLY WITH WITHIN YOUR ROLE. OVERSEEING MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE ON A DAILY BASIS AND CARING FOR THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, I KNOW THAT YOU’RE ALSO TRYING TO PAVE A PATH FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS IN THAT SAME COMMUNITY WHERE THIS ALL BEGAN IN THE HILL DISTRICT. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, PLEASE. SO WHEN I STARTED EMT SCHOOL, FUNNY STORY, IT COST $40 BACK IN 1997 WHEN I STARTED EMT SCHOOL, AND AS A SINGLE MOM, I COULD NOT AFFORD THE $40 TO GO TO EMT SCHOOL. AND $40 NOW IS LIKE A DROP IN THE BUCKET. BUT MY FATHER GAVE ME THE MONEY FOR ME TO GO TO EMT SCHOOL AND IT’S JUST FUNNY BECAUSE LOOKING BACK ON THAT TIME IN MY LIFE AND THE STRUGGLES OF WORKING FULL TIME, RAISING MY SON, TRYING TO OBTAIN MY EDUCATION, TO BECOME AN EMT AND A PARAMEDIC, IT WAS DIFFICULT. SO WHENEVER I BECAME CHIEF, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO DO WAS REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME OR PEOPLE NOT LIKE ME, JUST FOLKS THAT WANTED TO OBTAIN CAREERS IN THE PREHOSPITAL CARE FIELD, PARTICULARLY EMS, REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS. KNOWING HOW DIFFICULT IT IS, BECAUSE INITIALLY WHEN I STARTED IN THIS FIELD, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO STARTED WORKING IN EMS WERE 18, 19. BUT AS TIME GOES ON, YOU SEE OLDER PEOPLE THAT WANT CAREER CHANGES AND LIFE DOES NOT STOP LAUGHING. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE KIDS, THEY HAVE MORTGAGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO TO ACTUALLY OFFER THEM A LIVABLE WAGE WHILE GOING TO SCHOOL AND OUR PROGRAM WAS COMPLETELY IN HOUSE. SO IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO STARTED FREEDOM HOUSE AMBULANCE SERVICE, WHEN I BECAME CHIEF, ONE OF MY FIRST GOALS WAS ACTUALLY TO OPEN UP AN ACADEMY IN THEIR HONOR. BUT WITHOUT ALL THE BARRIERS THAT I HAD TO FACE GETTING INTO THIS FIELD. SO IT’S A 12 WEEK PROGRAM. THEY’RE PAID $16 AN HOUR DURING THE WHOLE TIME THAT THEY’RE IN THE PROGRAM. AT THE COMPLETION OF THEIR PROGRAM, THEY WILL HAVE THEIR NATIONAL REGISTRY CERTIFICATION. ALL THE TRAINING THAT IT TAKES TO WORK WITHIN THE BUREAU OF PITTSBURGH EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. SINCE THEN, AND I BELIEVE THE FIRST CLASS WAS IN MAY OF 2024. WE’VE GRADUATED THREE COMPLETE EMT CLASSES AT 100% SUCCESS RATE AND SUBSEQUENTLY OPENED UP AN ADVANCED EMT ACADEMY AS WELL. AND THAT’S THE MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN AN EMT AND A PARAMEDIC. UNTIL SUCH TIME, WE’RE ABLE TO OPEN UP A PARAMEDIC ACADEMY. STILL AHEAD ON. FOR THE RECORD, WE’RE ALWAYS FIRST ON THE SCENE AND FIRST OUT. PITTSBURGH’S EMS CHIEF ON THE HARD WORK BEING DONE BY HER CREWS. EVEN WHEN THERE ARE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IN THE CITY. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, AS I CONTINUE MY CONVERSATION WITH PITTSBURGH’S EMS CHIEF ERIC GILCHRIST, WE TALK ABOUT SEVERAL RECENT INCIDENTS, INCLUDING THE DRAMATIC MOMENTS WHEN A CREW TRIED TO RESCUE A WOMAN WHOSE VEHICLE ENDED UP IN THE MON RIVER. WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CARE PROVIDED BY SO MANY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY SEE SOMEONE IN AN AMBULANCE? CARING FOR SOMEONE? WHEN THEY SEE SOMEONE ON THE RIVER? THERE’S SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCENES THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO. ONE THING I’VE BEEN PROUD OF AS OF LATE, EMS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES HAS NOT REALLY BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITY. YOU HEAR ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU HEAR ABOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT I ALWAYS CALL EMS THE REDHEADED STEPCHILD. WE’RE ALWAYS FIRST ON THE SCENE AND FIRST OUT. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T RECOGNIZE THAT SOMEONE WAS ACTUALLY THERE CARING FOR A PATIENT. IT’S NOT UNTIL YOU GET THOSE BIG CALLS THAT WE HAVE AN EXTENDED EXTRICATION OR, YOU KNOW, THERE’S AN INCIDENT WHERE IT THAT’S WHEN THE NEWS CAMERAS COME, AND THAT’S WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR BYSTANDERS AROUND AND THEY’RE LIKE, WOW, WHAT DO THOSE PEOPLE DO? SO IT’S BEEN VERY NICE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND EVEN PARTICULARLY WITH THE TELEVISION SHOWS THAT ARE ON AND BEING RECOGNIZED FOR BEING PRE-HOSPITAL CARE, BECAUSE THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT WORK IN OUR BUREAU HIGHLY TRAINED, IT’S BASICALLY A MOBILE EMERGENCY ROOM ON WHEELS THAT YOU GET TREATED FOR CARE FOR STABILIZED LIFE SAVING TREATMENT, AND THEN YOU’RE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. SO I KNOW ONE OF THE JOKES IN EMS IS WE’RE CALLED AMBULANCE DRIVERS A LOT, AND THAT’S HIGHLY OFFENSIVE BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF TRAINING THAT IT TAKES TO BECOME AN EMT AND A PARAMEDIC. SO, YOU KNOW, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT SCENES AND THINGS THAT HAVE HAD THE NEWS CAMERAS COME. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE TRAGEDY ON THE PARKWAY EAST. I DON’T THINK ANYONE COULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT OF AN ICE BANK BEING A RAMP FOR A DRIVER TO THEN END UP IN THE IN THE WATER. WALK ME THROUGH WHAT THAT WAS LIKE FOR YOU TO GET THAT CALL, AND THEN BE IN CHARGE OF THE TEAM THAT HAD THAT REALLY DARING MISSION TO HELP, TO HAVE TO GO IN AND TRY TO SAVE A WOMAN. SO ONE THING THAT I WILL SAY IS, I JUST, YOU KNOW, OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE FAMILY DURING THEIR TIME OF HEALING. IT WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE CALLS THAT WE DO NOT EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY, BUT OUR DIVERS, OUR PARAMEDIC, OUR PARAMEDICS, OUR RESCUE TECHNICIANS TRAINED FEVERISHLY FOR YEARS FOR THIS KIND OF CALL. WHEN THE CALL CAME IN, I WAS ACTUALLY 30S AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. AND NOW YOU START HEARING THE CALL, COME IN AND IT SOUNDS WORSE AND WORSE, AND THEN YOU’RE GETTING UNITS ON SCENE AND PEOPLE ARE CONFIRMING THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CAR INTO THE ICE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT GO ON IN MY MIND IS, CHIEF, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES? DO WE HAVE THE FOLKS WORKING THAT DAY WHO WERE TRAINED SPECIFICALLY TO DO THESE KIND OF RESCUES? IT WAS IT WAS A SURREAL EXPERIENCE, PARTICULARLY BEING DOWN THERE ON THE BANK OF THE MOURNE. IT WAS IT WAS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT THE PERSONNEL DID. THE DIVERS GOING INTO THE WATER, AND THEY’RE TRAINED TO MAKE SURE THEIR SAFETY COMES FIRST. HOWEVER, IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT WHERE YOU’RE TRYING TO SAVE SOMEBODY’S LIFE IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME POSSIBLE. THAT HUMAN ELEMENT OF NOT REALLY THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF GOES OUT OF, YOU KNOW, THE DOOR. SO IT’S UP TO THE ADMINISTRATORS AND THE FOLKS IN CHARGE OF THE INCIDENT TO SOMETIMES PULL THEM ASIDE AND SAY, OKAY, YOU’VE BEEN IN THERE TOO LONG. YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS TOO LONG. NOW WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT YOUR SAFETY. SO THERE’S JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT GO ON IN A SCENE, ON A SCENE LIKE THAT. IN GENERAL, I KNOW THAT SOON AFTER THAT, YOU HAD TO ISSUE ANOTHER WARNING ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE ICE. THIS HAS BEEN A TRICKY WINTER IN GENERAL, NOT JUST ON THE STREETS, ON THE SIDEWALKS, BUT PARTICULARLY ON THE RIVER. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WARNINGS THAT YOU’VE HAD TO REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT IN TERMS OF JUST BEING OUT THERE, AND HOW DANGEROUS IT CAN STILL BE? WE STARTED GETTING PAGES. FOR PEOPLE WALKING OUT ON THE ICE, AND NO ONE HAD FALLEN IN AT THAT POINT. AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO ONE HAS. BUT WE STARTED GETTING PAGES. AND INITIALLY, SOMETIMES WHEN WE GET PAGES, JUST A POINT OF CONTACT. THEY’RE SO OUTLANDISH THAT YOU THINK THAT THEY’RE NOT REAL. AND WE STARTED GETTING PAGES ABOUT PEOPLE BEING OUT ON THE ICE, AND I JUST HAPPENED TO LOOK ON FACEBOOK, AND I COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE OUT ON ICE. THEY HAD THEIR CHILDREN OUT ON THE ICE, AND THE DANGER OF THAT WAS NOT RECOGNIZED. PITTSBURGH HAS NOT HAD THE RIVERS FREEZE OVER LIKE THIS YEAR IN A LONG TIME. SO I GUESS IT WAS A PHENOMENON THAT PEOPLE WERE LIKE, SO EXCITED ABOUT, BUT THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS OF IT. I LIKEN A FROZEN RIVER TO A FAUCET, SO WHEN THE TEMPERATURES GET VERY COLD, YOUR PLUMBERS WILL SAY, IN ORDER FOR YOUR PIPES NOT TO FREEZE, LET THE WATER TRICKLE. WELL, RIVER IS CONSTANTLY FLOWING. WHEN YOU TURN YOUR FAUCET ON, IT’S SO THE THE WATER, THE STAGNANT WATER DOES NOT FREEZE. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT A RIVER IS ALWAYS FLOWING, IT’S NEVER GOING TO FREEZE ALL OF THE WAY. SO THERE MAY BE SOME ICE THAT YOU, WOW, IT’S THICK ENOUGH IN ONE SPOT. IN ANOTHER SPOT. IT IS NOT. AND THE DANGERS OF FALLING THROUGH THE ICE AND GETTING SWEPT DOWN THE RIVER. PROBABLY BEFORE ANYONE COULD GET THERE TO RESCUE YOU. THEN ON TOP OF THAT, THE FOLKS WHO HAVE TO RISK THEIR LIVES TO DO THAT, IT JUST WAS NOT WORTH THE RISK. TAKE THE PICTURES FROM THE SHORE. YOU KNOW. SO IT WAS IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED ON THE MORNING, I COULD NOT BELIEVE PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY WALKING ON ICE. STILL AHEAD, IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO SERVE, THE RESIDENTS, WE’RE NOT ABLE TO HELP THE RESIDENTS. WHAT PITTSBURGH’S EMS CHIEF HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE CITY’S AGING FLEET. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD. BEFORE WE GO, I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION FOR PITTSBURGH’S EMS CHIEF, ALL ABOUT THE RECENT HEADLINES SURROUNDING THE CITY’S VEHICLE FLEET. IT’S BEEN SUCH A UNIQUE WINTER. YOU KNOW, WE’VE TALKED ALSO. IT’S BEEN IN THE NEWS ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE CALLING THE AGING FLEET, RIGHT. SO BASICALLY, DIFFERENT VEHICLES IN THE CITY FROM FROM OVER THE YEARS, WHETHER IT’S BEEN A FUNDING ISSUE OR WEAR AND TEAR ON THE VEHICLES OR JUST TIME FOR CERTAIN ONES TO BE REPLACED. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE. SO PEOPLE AT HOME UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE UP AGAINST, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SOME OF THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS WILL BE GOING TOWARD. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE THAT EQUIPMENT IS ALL ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE FOR YOU AND YOUR CREW, AND FOR ESSENTIALLY PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY. SO OUR AMBULANCES ARE THE LIFELINES TO THE COMMUNITY. IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO SERVE THE RESIDENTS, WE’RE NOT ABLE TO HELP THE RESIDENTS. THE FLEET, UNFORTUNATELY, FOR YEARS, HAS BEEN AGING. IT’S BEEN. IN A CONDITION SUCH THAT IT’S NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR US TO KEEP GOING THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN GOING. OVER SEVERAL YEARS IN FRONT OF DURING COUNCIL HEARINGS, WE WOULD DISCUSS THE DIRE NATURE OF THE FLEET. IT’S NOT UNTIL YOU’RE ON AN EMERGENCY CALL AND THAT TRUCK BREAKS DOWN AND YOU HAVE A PATIENT IN THE TRUCK. THAT’S WHEN YOU START REALIZING THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION. WE HAVE OUR MAINTENANCE SHOP THAT IS CONTRACTED OUT BY THE CITY. THEY CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH WITH WHAT THEY HAVE TO WORK WITH. THERE HAS TO BE AN INVESTMENT IN THAT’S WHY I’M PRETTY SURE YOU HEARD ON THE NEWS THE DONATION THAT WE. THAT THAT JUST BLEW ME AWAY. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THAT. SO MY REACTION WAS VERY REAL. AS FAR AS THE SURPRISE, BECAUSE THAT’S GOING TO DO. SUCH A PHENOMENAL THING AS FAR AS MORALE WITHIN OUR BUREAU. IT’S GOING TO DO SO MUCH ABOUT BUILDING CONFIDENCE, NOT ONLY WITH OUR PERSONNEL BUT WITH THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE OUR CREWS KNOW NOW WHEN THEY GET INTO A VEHICLE, IT’S GOING TO START, IT’S GOING TO GET TO THE CALL. BUT I THINK THE GENERAL PUBLIC ALSO HAS TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S THEIR TAXPAYER DOLLARS THAT PAY FOR THE FLEET. AND ALL OF THE SERVICES AND THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE. NO ONE WANTS THEIR TAXES TO GO UP. NO ONE WANTS TO HAVE TO PAY THE EXTRA THINGS TO HAVE THE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE. AND I MYSELF TAKE FOR GRANTED THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE EMS AND POLICE AND FIRE, BUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS COME AT A COST. ASTRONOMICAL AS WELL. BUT IT COMES DOWN TO SAFETY. IT COMES DOWN TO SAFETY. AND IF WE DO NOT HAVE VEHICLES, IF WE DO NOT HAVE VEHICLES IN WORKING ORDER, IT NOT ONLY PUTS THE PERSONNEL THAT HAVE TO OPERATE THOSE VEHICLES IN DANGER, BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC THAT WE SERVE IN DANGER, AND WE HAVE A LOT COMING UP. YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING AHEAD OF TIME. WE’VE GOT YOU KNOW, THERE’S ALWAYS HUSTLE AND BUSTLE AND LOTS OF EVENTS AND SPORTING THINGS GOING ON IN PITTSBURGH. WE’VE GOT THE MARATHON, WE’VE GOT THE NFL DRAFT COMING UP, AND THERE’S A LOT FOR THE CITY TO BE FOCUSED ON. YES, THE NFL DRAFT IS COMING IN APRIL, AND I THINK IT’S A WEEKEND. THE NEXT WEEKEND IS THE MARATHON. SO YEAH, WE DEFINITELY HAVE OUR HANDS FULL HERE IN THE BUREAU OF EMS. AND I WANT TO THANK CHIEF GILCHRIST FOR JOINING US FOR THAT INTERVIEW. THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY’S EDITION OF FOR THE RECORD. WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. HAVE A GOOD WEEK.
‘You never know what God has in store for you’: Pittsburgh’s EMS chief appears on 4 The Record
Amera Gilchrist is the first woman and the first Black person to be head of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medical Services
Updated: 11:00 AM EST Mar 1, 2026
On Sunday morning, Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist appeared on 4 The Record, interviewed by host Janelle Hall.Gilchrist is the first woman and the first Black person to become EMS chief of the city.She said, after working very hard to rise through the ranks as chief, she has a message for her children.“Never close the door,” Gilchrist said. “Always keep your eyes open. You never know what God has in store for you.”Gilchrist also shared thoughts on recent events in Pittsburgh that have brought the city’s EMS team into the spotlight, including the efforts to rescue a woman after her vehicle crashed into the Monongahela River.“In situations like that where you’re trying to save somebody’s life in the shortest amount of time possible, that human element of not really thinking about yourself goes out the door,” she said.WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
PITTSBURGH —
On Sunday morning, Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist appeared on 4 The Record, interviewed by host Janelle Hall.
Gilchrist is the first woman and the first Black person to become EMS chief of the city.
She said, after working very hard to rise through the ranks as chief, she has a message for her children.
“Never close the door,” Gilchrist said. “Always keep your eyes open. You never know what God has in store for you.”
Gilchrist also shared thoughts on recent events in Pittsburgh that have brought the city’s EMS team into the spotlight, including the efforts to rescue a woman after her vehicle crashed into the Monongahela River.
“In situations like that where you’re trying to save somebody’s life in the shortest amount of time possible, that human element of not really thinking about yourself goes out the door,” she said.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE