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 Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Administration, Fire, and Animal Care and Control. The DPS 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 then current city administration, absorbing Freedom House Ambulance. Pittsburgh, in addition to being the birthplace of prehospital care, is one of few cities in the United States where "medically directed rescue" is practiced.
