How a TV Show Sparked the Story of The First Save & the research that helped shape it into something real

It started with a single episode.

A still from Episode 8 of The Pitt, where a character reveals he was a former Freedom House paramedic — the moment that sparked the idea for this film.

Episode 8 of The Pitt on HBO Max introduced a guest character who quietly, almost offhandedly, mentioned he was a former Freedom House paramedic. Just a few lines. But something about that moment lodged itself in my mind. I paused the show. Rewound. Googled. And that’s when I discovered one of the most important untold stories in American medical history.

Freedom House Ambulance Service was the first paramedic service in the United States — not the first integrated team, but the first, period. And it was made up entirely of Black men from Pittsburgh’s Hill District, trained at the highest medical standards, long before the term “paramedic” was even a thing.

Nancy Caroline

From that moment, I couldn’t let it go.

American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard, $17.39 on Amazon

I read American Sirens by Kevin Hazzard, a powerful book that tells the story with the detail and urgency it deserves. I watched the PBS documentary First Responders and dug through every article and archive I could find. I wasn’t just reading history — I was seeing characters, conflict, and the emotional core of a story that felt deeply personal.

I highly recommend watching this 30-minute documentary

That research led to Freedom House, a feature screenplay. And then to The First Save — a short film that captures one man’s first emergency call and the lasting impact it has years later.

This is a story about legacy. About dignity. About what it means to serve, even when the world refuses to see your worth. It’s historical fiction, but rooted in real lives and real loss.

I’m making this film so that Freedom House is never forgotten again.

Thanks for being a part of the journey.

— Orlando Suazo, Jr.