12 who made significant contributions to Emergency Medical Services in western PA honored
In a place where legends of comedy normally meet, legends of a different kind were honored for their service to Allegheny County.
Twelve honorees received awards Friday for providing emergency medical care on Allegheny County streets.
Amongst the group, former Freedom House paramedic John Moon.
Moon was a paramedic for the historic visionaries of African Americans who lived in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in the 1960s.
It was a time when the community was underserved and in need of paramedics.
So Moon and other black men in the neighborhood trained to become paramedics.
“We spent time in the intensive care units, in the emergency rooms. In the coronary care units even with the county morgue undergoing anatomy and physiology,” said Moon.
They were placed on the streets to provide pre-hospital care.
And today their legacy is the foundation of EMS systems throughout the country.
“It’s a wonderful story. One I like to get out to the world.,” said Moon.
Former Pittsburgh EMS Chief Bob McCaughan is honored to join this inaugural group.
He said his mentors helped him along the way.
“I just had the desire to help people and that seemed to be the segway into EMS,” said McCaughan.
He recalls a transformative day on the job.
“This woman had jumped off the Clemente bridge back in ‘86. We were able to save her and that led to the formation of Pittsburgh River Rescue,’ said McCaughan.
Stress comes with the occupation. And he offers this advice for up-and-coming paramedics.
“I think everybody handles it differently. You talk to friends, you talk to colleagues, family. Some people don’t share, a lot others do,” said McCaughan.
He also says always do what’s best for the patient and put the patient at the center of everything.
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