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Pittsburgh City Council

Emergency Medical Services looks to expand its training academy.

Written by Amy Whipple

Emergency medical services (EMS) chief Amera Gilchrist said the city could use an in-house paramedic academy.

In 2025, the bureau added an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Academy. This designation allows for more medical intervention than for traditional EMTs but fewer than paramedics.

She said during the Nov. 20 budget meeting that she hopes the city will someday open a similar paramedic academy. Thirteen of the department’s EMTs are currently in paramedic school, something Gilchrest partially attributes to new combination units that pair EMTs and paramedics on some shifts. Currently, the department has 15 paramedic vacancies.

EMS’s $36.5 million 2026 preliminary budget cannot, however, cover such a training program.

A new allowance in 2025 for 20 part-time positions resulted in “an overwhelming response of 109 applicants,” Gilchrist said. It now has 16 part-time paramedics and three part-time EMTs (and one part-time EMT vacancy). However, the reimbursement for their time is from fees paid into the event reimbursement trust, which only allows for them to work special events.

Gilchrist said she does not understand why part-time employees can’t be added to the operational budget so they can be used outside of special events.

Gilchrist credits combination units and part-time employees for reducing forced overtime by 78%. Forced overtime does not mean no overtime. Deputy chief Jeff Tremel said EMS has spent $7.2 million on overtime pay this year, which is twice the budgeted amount. Next year, a $2 million increase will bring the budget line to $5.6 million, still $1.6 million below the amount spent on overtime this year.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Public Safety & EMS
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · November 24, 2025

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