James O. Page JD (August 7, 1936 – September 4, 2004) was recognized as a leading authorityFire and EMS Service Icon James O. Page Passes Away - Firehouse.com Emergency Medical Services
on United States emergency medical services ( EMS). James was born in

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

, California, and frequently moved between California and Kansas as a youth. After holding a number of jobs, including an ambulance attendant in East Los Angeles, he received his first job in the fire service with Monterey Park Fire Department. After failing a medical clearance with

Los Angeles City Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...

Page served in the

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials response services and emergency medical response services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County ...

for 16 years rising to the rank of Battalion Chief. While working with the department, he began his studies in law at

Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a private law school in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an art deco National Register ...

. Recognizing an opportunity, management in the Los Angeles County Fire Department placed problematic firefighters under Page's supervision hoping that his litigious training would hasten their dismissal. However, Page refused to serve as the department's "executioner." In 1973 he was appointed as the first director of North Carolina's statewide EMS system. North Carolina gained a national reputation for excellence in pre-hospital care during his tenure. In 1975, he was appointed as Executive Director of Lakes Area Emergency Medical Services in Buffalo, NY and spearheaded the development and implementation of the 8-county western New York EMS system. During the early 1970s Jim Page served as a technical advisor for NBC Television's popular show ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situatio ...

'' This program captured the US public's imagination and created a public demand for quality pre-hospital care. In 1976 Page took the leadership reins of the ACT Foundation becoming a popular public speaker, advisor, and author of topics in emergency medicine. The character of Johnny Gage, a paramedic that appeared on the series was considered to have been named in honor of Page, although the name had been changed, so as to keep in context. Page published several books and magazines about the EMS community. He is generally recognized as the official historian of EMS.

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External links

Journal of Emergency Medical ServicesJames O. Page Obit in Firehouse Magazine Obit in JEMS MagazineObit in Mergeinetat Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, LLC Website
1936 births 2004 deaths American firefighters {{emergency-services-stub

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