James O. Page
James O. Page (1936–2004), widely considered to be “the father of modern emergency medical services,” began his career in 1957 as a firefighter in Los Angeles County and implemented the county’s paramedic rescue program in 1971. He served as technical consultant and writer for the television series Emergency! (1972–1977), chief of EMS for the state of North Carolina (1973–1975) and executive director of the nonprofit Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation (1976–1983).
In 1979, impressed by Mark Twain’s quote, “It’s hard to argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel,” he bought the rights to a monthly publication called Paramedics International for $1, and transformed it into JEMS. The debut issue was published in March 1980 with the intention of providing a strong voice and advocate for the EMS industry and the patients it serves. In January 2000, he cofounded the multipleattorney, national EMS law practice of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth. He remained an active advocate for the EMS industry until his death in 2004. During his career, he authored five books, wrote more than 400 magazine articles and editorials and presented around 800 lectures and speeches.
