Physio-Control Endows the James O. Page Collection as Sole Founding Benefactor

Newly Established Collection and Library at UCLA honors “Father of Modern Emergency Medical Services”

Physio-Control, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc., today announced it has endowed the newly-established James O. Page Collection, the beginnings of a national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) library at UCLA as the sole Founding Benefactor. James O. Page (August 7, 1936 – September 4, 2004) was a legendary leader in EMS, and founding publisher of JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. For decades, Page gave voice to the needs of emergency responders such as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, and was an untiring advocate regarding the importance of EMS to the health and safety of local communities.

A firefighter at heart who believed fire services could improve the benefits they provided their communities, Page was instrumental in transforming fire services into the EMS system we know today. His career spanned more than five decades, where he contributed to the field as firefighter and battalion chief with Los Angeles County Fire Department (1959–1973), chief of the North Carolina Office of EMS, founding publisher of JEMS Communications (1979–2001) and partner, Page, Wolfberg & Wirth law firm. A prolific writer, exceptional and motivating speaker, television consultant to NBC’s Emergency!, historian and attorney, Page advocated for the unique needs of firefighters and paramedics, and their important contributions to public health and safety.

“Physio-Control is honored to participate as the sole Founding Benefactor for the endowment of the James O. Page Collection and national EMS library,” said Brian Webster, president of Physio-Control. “EMS and Physio-Control grew up together as we learned to provide lifesaving services and lifesaving tools for EMS teams all around the globe. The contributions of James O. Page leave an enduring mark on prehospital care, and will influence the minds and hearts of EMS leaders and providers for generations to come.”

The James O. Page Collection and National EMS Library is a joint effort between the James O. Page Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve Page’s rich collection of work and legacy for EMS leaders of the future, and UCLA Libraries. The Collection will be archived in the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library at UCLA, which has a wide variety of special collections, considered among the best in the country. After a careful search and determination that no other library of its kind existed, UCLA welcomed the opportunity to create the Collection to preserve the history of EMS found in Page’s extensive collection of documents, speeches, videos and other works, and to create a library that also includes contributions by other EMS leaders..

Keith Griffiths, chair, the James O. Page Foundation, said, “People call Jim ‘the father of modern EMS’ not because he was a researcher and an administrator, or because he held a position of power in government. It was because he promoted great ideas and had the gumption to express them through whatever medium presented itself, be it a TV show, magazine, conference, public meeting, book, video or an official report. Jim’s ideas took hold, inspiring thousands and changing the very way in which we thought about how society should care for people in urgent need, without judgment. And always with consideration for those, in Jim’s words, ‘who give countless hours to training and preparation, and who forsake opportunities for wealth, who disregard their own convenience and safety in caring for ill and injured people.’”

“The James O. Page Collection is an exciting and important way to remember Jim’s legacy and to renew his vision for EMS. Physio-Control has a rich history that is interwoven with the history of EMS. We greatly appreciate Physio’s support in making the Collection possible.”

A.J. Heightman, current editor-in-chief of JEMS and a member of the Collection’s endowment committee, said, “Part of Jim Page’s legacy was his ability to sense and capture important and historic events and projects as they were occurring. His files and the records he left us reflect this and will enable us to preserve and pass on this important information to future generations of emergency responders and system administrators.”

The James O. Page Collection and National EMS Library will be open to the public in January 2009. For more information about the UCLA library and its collections, visit http://www.library.ucla.edu/biomed/his/.