Fire Captain Andy Page and Tom Page, the sons of James O. Page, accepted the Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of their father at Thursday’s General Session. William Manning, Fire Engineering associate publisher/editor in chief and FDIC conference director, made the presentation.
“I can personally attest to Jim Page’s leadership, brilliance, passion, and command presence,” Manning noted in his presentation remarks. “Jim Page had a powerful influence on three generations of the American fire-rescue service. No individual has had more of an influence on EMS. As one college summed it up, ‘Jim Page is EMS.'”
Tom Page, a photographer, spoke on behalf of Andy, his mother and his two sisters. He recalled his father’s words: “No leader is any greater than the men and women he is called to lead.”
Describing his father as “a man in perpetual motion,” Tom Page also related how his father “understood the power of the human relationship and that we are attracted to those who take an interest in us. He could speak to just about anybody.”
Page’s varied and illustrious career spanned more than 55 years. Among his many affiliations was his service in the Los Angeles County (LA) Fire Department, where he rose through the ranks from firefighter through battalion chief. While there, he coordinated the countywide implementation of paramedic rescue services, which became the model for the nation. He served as chief of EMS for the state of North Carolina and as chief of the City of Monterey Park (CA) Fire Department.
Page founded JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, in 1979. During his tenure there, he directed the launch of FireRescue Magazine. A prolific writer, Page wrote six books, more than 400 magazine articles and editorials, and the well-regarded “Burning Issues” column for FireRescue Magazine. Various awards recognizing excellence in EMS have been established in his honor. In addition to serving as publisher emeritus at Jems Communications up until his death in 2004, Page was also a partner in the law firm of Page, Wolfberg and Wirch.