On July 24, 2026, I had the privilege of meeting John Moon at the National CPR & AED Awareness Rally in Washington, D.C. As someone who has spent much of my career teaching CPR and advanced lifesaving skills, meeting a true pioneer of modern emergency medical services was an unforgettable honor.
John shared his remarkable story of perseverance, service and determination in the face of racism and prejudice. His willingness to speak openly about what he and his fellow paramedics endured was both moving and inspiring. Their contributions helped transform emergency care in the United States, yet their accomplishments went largely unrecognized for decades.
John Moon joined Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh in 1972. Freedom House, which was staffed primarily by Black men and women from Pittsburgh’s Hill District, is widely recognized as one of America’s first modern advanced life-support ambulance services. Its clinicians were trained to provide sophisticated medical treatment before patients reached the hospital—an approach that helped establish the foundation of today’s paramedic system.
John was inspired to join the organization after watching Freedom House crews bring patients into the hospital where he worked as an orderly. After completing hundreds of hours of emergency medicine coursework and clinical training, he began working with Freedom House as an emergency medical technician.
Under the guidance of Dr. Peter Safar, one of the physicians credited with pioneering modern CPR, John was selected to learn endotracheal intubation in the operating room. He later performed what is believed to have been the first successful out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation by a paramedic in the United States.
That accomplishment was especially meaningful to me. Endotracheal intubation remains an important advanced airway skill used by qualified clinicians during resuscitation and advanced cardiovascular life support. To meet someone who helped demonstrate that specially trained paramedics could successfully perform this procedure in the field brought the history of our profession to life.
Despite the extraordinary success and experience of the Freedom House clinicians, they faced discrimination and unequal treatment.
When Pittsburgh ended its contract with Freedom House in 1975 and created a city-operated EMS system, only a small number of Freedom House paramedics successfully transitioned into the new service. Even though they were among the most experienced emergency clinicians in the country, they were subjected to additional testing and were sometimes required to ride as a third crew member alongside less-experienced personnel.
John persevered, eventually rising to the position of assistant chief of Pittsburgh EMS. He also worked to make the department more inclusive by developing recruitment and training opportunities that increased minority representation within emergency medical services.
One of the people John helped recruit was Amera Gilchrist, who later became Pittsburgh’s first Black EMS chief and the first woman to lead the department.
John retired from Pittsburgh EMS in 2009 after more than three decades of service, but his work did not end there. He continues to share the history of Freedom House, mentor future emergency responders and speak at EMS conferences and Black history events throughout the country.
His story is also featured in Kevin Hazzard’s book American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics. In 2024, John attended President Biden’s State of the Union address as the guest of Congresswoman Summer Lee, bringing national attention to the contributions of Freedom House and its clinicians.
Meeting John Moon reminded me that the history of CPR and emergency medicine is not only about medical discoveries. It is also about courageous people who challenged prejudice, broke barriers and continued serving their communities even when their abilities and accomplishments were unfairly questioned.
John Moon is a true pioneer, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hear his story and thank him personally for the path he helped create for today’s EMS professionals.
It was truly an honor to meet him.
CPR Choice
CPR Choice was honored to welcome Senator Briggs to our booth during the event. We had the opportunity to discuss the importance of CPR education, community preparedness, AED accessibility, and the role training plays in improving survival outcomes during cardiac emergencies.
CPR Choice and New Direction Health Care Solutions are proud to host CPR4LIFE, a community-wide CPR training event designed to educate, train, and certify 60 East Tennesseans in a single day.
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