The National Fire Heritage Center (NFHC) has inducted the first group of fire service leaders into its National Fire & Emergency Services Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders. The group includes FireRescue magazine founder Chief James O. Page, who has long been considered to be the “father of modern EMS.” The other inductees:
- Ben Franklin: founder of Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company, the first volunteer fire company in the country
- John S. Damrell: first president of the National Association of Fire Engineers
- Patrick H. Raymond: first recorded black fire chief in the United States
- Charles T. Holloway: first chief engineer of the Baltimore City Fire Department; first fire commissioner of the Baltimore County Fire Department
- Charles E. Miles: first chief engineer of the Los Angeles Volunteer Fire Department
- Sveinn Eiràksson: fire chief for the U.S. Naval Air Station in Keflavik, Iceland (the first non-U.S. citizen appointed to command a U.S. military fire department)
- Francis (Frank) Brannigan: renowned author and educator in fire protection engineering disciplines
- Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr.: FDNY chief killed on September 11, 2001
- William “Howie” McClennan: President Emeritus, IAFF
The announcement was made during the NFHC’s membership meeting on April 7, which was held in conjunction with the Congressional Fire Service Institute’s annual event in Washington, D.C.
Bill Killen, vice president of the NFHC and former president of the IAFC, says the purpose of the Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders is to recognize those “leaders of leaders” within the fire and emergency services for their extraordinary achievements and contributions at the national and international levels. Further, it seeks to draw attention to the NFHC’s mission and goals to help save important historical written work related to America’s fire service.
Jim Page in particular was a fitting inductee to the Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders, as he was considered a national historian and authority on EMS.
A.J. Heightman, editor-in-chief of JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services) and long-time friend of Page, says Page created a vision for the fire service role in EMS long before anyone else. Further, “He meticulously recorded and maintained documents on processes, legal actions and programs related to fire and EMS, preserving them for generations to come–and so it is only fitting that he be inducted into the Heritage Center’s Hall of Legends.”
As to why the NFHC selected Page, Killen agrees with Heightman’s assessment. “Jim had vision. It was like he was able to see what the future would hold,” he says. “More than 75% of fire calls are EMS-related now; Jim could see that coming and offered considerable leadership and encouragement in the development of fire-based EMS systems.”
Page began his fire service career in 1957. He worked for 16 years with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, where he coordinated the implementation of the department’s paramedic rescue services. At the same time, he served as a technical consultant and writer for the TV series Emergency! Page later served as the chief of EMS for the State of North Carolina and as executive director of the non-profit ACT (Advanced Coronary Treatment) Foundation. While employed at ACT, Page founded Jems Communications (now known as Elsevier Public Safety, publisher of JEMS and FireRescue magazine), and served as manager of a technical support services program for the U.S. Fire Administration. In 1984, while maintaining his ownership of Jems Communications, he returned to the fire service. He served as fire chief for the City of Monterey Park in Los Angeles County until his retirement in 1989. Page retired from Jems Communications in December 2001. He served as Publisher Emeritus for Jems and worked at his law practice of Page, Wolfberg and Wirth until his death in 2004.
“His efforts to accurately portray the importance of ALS in fire service EMS through the show Emergency! is regarded by experts to have accelerated the implementation of ALS in this country by at least 10 years,” Heightman notes. “Countless saved lives can be attributed to Emergency! and, therefore, to Jim Page.”
FireRescue Editor-in-Chief Timothy E. Sendelbach adds: “FireRescue is proud to have the accomplishments of our founder recognized by the Heritage Foundation and the members of the American fire service. The path paved by Chief Page has and will continue to be followed by current and future generations of firefighters of all ranks.”
Additional historical information about Page and his involvement in fire and EMS can be found at the UCLA Library James O. Page Collection (http://tinyurl.com/JamesOPage-UCLA).
Creating the Hall of Legends, Legacies & Leaders
The concept for the Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders was born from a simple informal discussion. “During an afternoon of chit chat and naming individuals who made significant contributions to the fire service, a list evolved with names from as far back as colonial times,” Killen explains. The NFHC board of directors had been talking about how to best capture the histories of these individuals, so during a conference call, Killen made a motion to explore the establishment of a “Hall of Fame” to recognize fire and emergency services industry leaders. The board created a set of criteria for the Hall, and on March 22, 2011, the board approved three motions–one to establish the National Fire & Emergency Services Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders; the second to adopt the nomination and selection criteria; and the third to induct 10 individuals to the Hall.
Over the next several weeks, photographs and biographies of the 10 inductees will be posted on the NFHC website, www.nationalfireheritagecenter.com.
Any person or organization may submit a nomination to the Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders in accordance with published criteria, which can be found on the NFHC website. Nominations are due by June 1, and elections will take place at the NFHC’s October meeting.
About the National Fire Heritage Center
With the motto “Preserving the Perishable,” the NFHC was created to help preserve important historical documents and artifacts related to America’s fire service. The Center aims to enhance–not supplant–the initiatives of fire museums and fire libraries. “Most documentation that does exist is held in private collections where access is exceedingly difficult,” says Center President Chief Ronny J. Coleman. Adds NFHC Treasurer Wayne Powell, “Often those locations are not readily known and/or where they do happen to exist, there typically have no support personnel on hand to properly collect, repair, preserve, catalog and then digitally upload materials for electronic access by others.” As such, the NFHC was created as a centralized and coordinated effort to archive and access important fire service documents.
The NFHC is co-located along with the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum in Emmitsburg, Md., near the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) campus. The NETC campus is home to the U.S. Fire Administration and its National Fire Academy as well as the National Fallen Firefighters (NFFF) Memorial Foundation. The Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum is open to the public every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Heritage Center plans to hold its official opening later this year to coincide with the NFFF’s annual memorial weekend.
