Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services

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Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services

Seal of the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS
Operational area
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
City	Pittsburgh
Agency overview
Established	October 15, 1975; 49 years ago (1975-10-15)
Employees	211 (2019)[1] Uniformed Providers: 209 Civilian staff: 2
Annual budget	$22,910,271 2019[1]
Staffing	Career
Bureau Chief	Amera Gilchrist
EMS level	ALS/BLS
Motto	"The Best Care Anywhere"
Facilities and equipment
Divisions	3
Stations/Facilities	16
ALS Medic Units	13 – normal staffing (scheduled 24/7) 11 – reserve/emergency
BLS Ambulances	3 – normal staffing (scheduled 24/7) 2 – reserve/emergency
HAZMAT	1
Heavy Rescue	3
Special/Technical Rescues	3
River Rescue boats	4
Other boats (inflatables)	5
Hovercraft	1
TEMS Units	2
Infectious Disease response	3
Swift Water/Flood Response units	4
ALS Motorcycles	4
Bicycle units	4
Mass Casualty Unit	1
ATV/Carts	4
Prehospital Physician response	3
Website
Official website
Union website (FAPP)

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (PEMS) provides emergency medical services and medically directed rescue services for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a bureau of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with the Bureaus of Police, Administration, Fire, and Animal Care and Control. The department is responsible for 55.5 square miles (144 km²) with a population of 305,841 as of the 2013 Census estimation. The Bureau was founded in 1975 by the then current city administration, absorbing Freedom House Ambulance. In addition, the Bureau of EMS was one of the first EMS agencies in the world.