UPMC’s Emergency Medicine Services (EMS) partnerships bring our mission to life in its most urgent moments — delivering rapid, innovative, and equitable emergency care across every community we serve. By strengthening first-response systems, expanding lifesaving education, and supporting the people who protect our neighborhoods, EMS stands as a cornerstone of our commitment to health, safety, and belonging.
Every day, across cities, small towns, and rural communities, EMS stands on the front lines of care.
Treating more than 400,000 emergency patients each year, UPMC partners with EMS agencies across Pennsylvania, western New York, and western Maryland to deliver care that is faster, smarter, and deeply rooted in community trust.
As of 2026, UPMC's EMS operational impact includes 40 EMS bases, 100 ambulances, 40 support vehicles, 23 emergency support aircrafts, and 18 helicopter bases.
UPMC exemplifies clinical excellence and innovation by advancing lifesaving care beyond hospital walls. Through collaborative partnerships like the City of Pittsburgh EMS, coordinated trauma networks, and a strong commitment to clinical education, UPMC continues to lead the region in delivering timely, evidence-based emergency care directly to the patients who need it most.
The City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS announced the launch of whole blood in the field being deployed by paramedics across the city of Pittsburgh. This cooperative program is a joint effort between Pittsburgh EMS, UPMC prehospital services, and Vitalant and sees whole blood being administered directly to patients in the field.
“In Pittsburgh, we innovate to bring care directly to the patient. The deep partnerships we share make that possible and serve as the lifeline,” says Lenny Weiss, MD, medical director of the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, medical director for Allegheny County Emergency Services and 911 Communications, and as assistant medical director for STAT MedEvac.
UPMC plays a central role in coordinating regional trauma networks to ensure patients receive the right level of care, at the right place, at the right time.
Through seamless communication between EMS providers, community hospitals, trauma centers, and critical care transport teams, UPMC helps streamline triage, rapid transport, and hospital readiness, especially during high‑acuity emergencies and large‑scale events.
This coordinated approach strengthens outcomes across urban, rural, and frontier communities while reinforcing a system built on shared standards, real‑time collaboration, and clinical excellence.
UPMC Children’s Hospital collaborates with EMS and local hospitals to deliver specialized pediatric emergency care, including telemedicine consultations and streamlined follow-up.
STAT MedEvac is a critical care transport system and is the clinical arm of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, which is a not-for-profit organization directed by a consortium of UPMC hospitals: UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hamot, UPMC Altoona, and UPMC Mercy Hospital.
STAT MedEvac has evolved into one of the largest single operated and dispatched air-medical transport system in the United States, operating eighteen helicopter base sites in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
UPMC advances EMS excellence through ongoing education, simulation-based training, and initiatives that build confident, skilled teams.
The Division of Emergency Medical Services participates in online and offline EMS medical direction, airline and traveler medical consultation, EMS research and education, tactical medicine, emergency preparedness, and disaster response.
Faculty play integral roles in the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety Bureaus of EMS, Fire, and Police, and collaborate closely with the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, which encompasses the STAT MedEvac critical care transport service, world-renowned EMS provider education programs, and EMed Health.
Additional initiatives include UPMC Prehospital Care and renowned prehospital training opportunities through the UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh.
Emergency Medicine Residency
The University of Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Residency is a three-year, ACGME-accredited program committed to training emergency physicians who will assume leadership roles in clinical care, research, teaching, and administration.
Prehospital Care Program
The UPMC Prehospital Care Program offers integrated protocols, policies, and procedures to public safety organizations who respond to medical emergencies.
The program:
Fellowship in Emergency Medical Services
The University of Pittsburgh Fellowship in Emergency Medical Services is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program of hands-on experience, mentorship, and didactics that covers the breadth of clinical, operational, and administrative core content of the specialty of EMS.
In 2020, UPMC and UPMC Health Plan launched “Freedom House 2.0”— a project designed to recruit, train and employ first responders from economically disadvantaged communities. The project echoes Pittsburgh’s original “Freedom House” initiative from 1968-1975, which provided EMS training to economically disadvantaged individuals in the city’s Hill District.
Freedom House 2.0 participants receive mentorship and financial support, as well as state approved EMT certification and community paramedic and community health care worker training, with support in career placement after program completion.
UPMC strengthens community education and readiness through training and other resources delivered at local fairs, schools, and community gatherings. A key pillar of community education is Minutes Matter, launched to provide community members with access to basic emergency information and education about life-saving interventions, as well as trainings for emergency skills.
In an emergency, minutes matter. You never know when you might find yourself at the scene of an accident, cardiac arrest, overdose, or other crisis situation. From calling 911, and knowing what to say, to clearing a path for emergency professionals, even the most basic knowledge can save lives and improve outcomes.
Other community education and readiness efforts include:
Across all regions, UPMC supports EMS providers through advanced training programs, simulation-based education, critical care transport, ongoing physicals, and recognition that honors the people who answer the call every day.
Examples of EMS support across our hospitals often include:
Susquehanna Regional EMS was selected by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians as the recipient of the 2025 Dick Ferneau Career EMS Service of the Year Award, one of the highest national honors in emergency medical services. The award recognizes organizations that exemplify outstanding clinical care, innovation, and commitment to the communities they serve.
A local firefighter, Ryan Johnston, completed his final radiation treatment for brain cancer and was met with a surprise celebration from more than 50 first responders, family, friends, and UPMC staff. Fire trucks lined the street and supporters formed a cheering corridor as he rang the bell, marking a powerful show of community support during his recovery journey.
