An eerie voice-mail message told of the death of James O. Page. If you have been in EMS any length of time, when you heard the news you most likely experienced the same numbness that strikes a person when someone of greatness dies. You will have known exactly where you were and recall the sequence of events. The Challenger explosion, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Sept. 11 — all incredible losses that make us stop and appreciate life and the great ways structures, events and most of all people inspire our life.

The wave of loss in the EMS community was echoed only by the depth of the e-mail addresses that had been included in the original notice sent to those within Jim's circle. An EMS pioneer and the principal mentor of today's fire-based EMS leaders, Jim Page was nothing less than a saint to people who have struggled to bring EMS into the fire service and ensure our greatest effort went to those we serve.

Fire Chief itself had listed Jim as one of the 20 most influential fire service leaders in its “Legacies” series. With years of wisdom and a personable tone, he had written and spread the gospel of EMS for several decades in the face of opposition. Jim had the diligence and foresight to record the past so that the future would appreciate the rich heritage that has made EMS what it is. I often referred to Jim as the “Gandhi of EMS,” not solely because of his resemblance, but because he brought wisdom and warmth to our profession. Throughout his endeavors he was always kind and rarely forgot a person's name or agency. Jim worked to do what was right rather than what was popular. He was a man of incredible integrity. What made Jim a leader was his vision to find a way for modern EMS to become ingrained in our culture.

In a phenomenon I have yet to fully understand, people who emerge as leaders in EMS routinely have their careers blocked or their efforts challenged for trying to move systems forward and take action for the greater good of the patient. From day one paramedics are taught to be patient advocates, but as they rise through the ranks they become martyred for that cause. Jim was able to find his way through the maze of politics and establish a forum for EMS on a national stage. He did that by staying true to the focus of what brought him to this profession. First and foremost, he was always an advocate for people. His personal values sought to hold people accountable for public service, and that allowed him to walk a fine line between private industry and fire-based EMS.

There are those who may remember the first EMS Today conference in Kansas City. It was a risk to put forth that level of commitment for a yet-unproven group of professionals, but the smiling faces of Jim Page, Betty Till and the conference staff made you feel like you were doing business with a mom-and-pop organization. For years the same faces were at EMS Today, and that annual event often reinforced the sense of community we love about EMS. But what does the future hold?

People have written some of the finest eulogies for Jim on just about every fire and EMS forum available. Much has been recorded, and his distinguished career has left a rich legacy for the record. The question is to what extent can the EMS community preserve the collective works of James O. Page? At the first of many conferences from which Jim will be absent, the National Association of EMS Educators initiated a discussion on how to preserve Jim's legacy.

I am told that some of Jim's works consume three garages, and that doesn't include material that has been loaned to other locations. Before our attention wanes, I would like to call on the fire and EMS community to make a concerted effort to establish the James O. Page Memorial Library and Lecture Hall at the University of California — Los Angeles in the form of an architecturally unique structure to delivery lectures and house the collective works of great EMS leaders.

Some may ask for the logic behind choosing the UCLA campus. Southern California was Jim's home, and the roots of his career were at the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A library of this caliber would need the support of a neighborhood metro fire department, one with a long history of EMS and generations of new paramedics and fire chiefs to follow.

In addition, the UCLA emergency medicine program continues to be one of the top programs in the country, and fellowships in pre-hospital emergency medicine could certainly follow, building from Jim's vision and influence on so many of the great emergency-room physicians. The staff at the Center of Emergency Medicine has remained stable, and the UCLA program continues to attract top faculty, who lead the country in promoting research on EMS.

A facility placed in the confines of an education institution is protected from external influences, cushioning it from corporate takeovers or municipal budget cuts. A library also should be close to the students and accessible. The expertise of academia to preserve; protect; and build on written, photographic, and audio records is present at a flagship institution of UCLA's caliber, and UCLA has the mechanism to sustain such a library through the school foundation. Non-profit status and the knowledge of fund-raising is an essential component to this type of endeavor.

When we look to the future of what we will do to carry the torch, we need to take stock in the mentoring Jim had done to ensure the momentum continues to carry EMS to greater accomplishments. A.J. Heightman, Jeff Berend and the staff of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services will continue to hold the magazine up to the gold standard of EMS journalism. The legacy of Jim's creativity, detail and perspective are well-entrusted in their hands.

In my last conversation with Jim, he expressed how moved he was by the tour he had started of 100 small towns to record the efforts of truly exceptional people working within EMS. I believe this would have been some of Jim's most prized work. It's imperative that documentation of the role of the rural and small-town provider be finished.

Another group of disciples are those who have received the IAFC's James O. Page award. Chief Alan Brunacini, the first recipient, and IAFC Director Gary Breise, the most recent, own the responsibility of ensuring the IAFC as an organization makes this award part of the enlightenment of every chief fire officer. Let's not forget Lori Moore, who will continue to raise the bar and instill Jim's ideas for labor to deliver quality service; Chief Mary Beth Michos, who will continue to participate in every committee or organization affiliated with EMS, carrying on Jim's famous quote of “Decisions are made by those who show up”; Jeff Dyar, who owns the responsibility to continue to bring people together to feel like part of the team, start a conversation with anyone and challenge the system to do better; and Don Walsh, who endeavors to establish a permanent place in the country to coordinate EMS and navigate through white papers and government bureaucracy. Their paths, and those of others who receive the award, should be chronicled.

There are those who were Jim's friends who will continue to advance the principles of patient care and service above self. There are too many to count, and this has become all too apparent by the volume of letters left to Jim. In the next decade, as people pick up a copy of Simple Advice or The Magic of 3 a.m., a few will be inspired to do great things in this profession. Ideally, generations of EMTs and paramedics will see Jim's living legacy in the latest version of History of Modern EMS and realize their potential and the rewards that come with service.

Jim was a good friend and mentor to me, as he was to so many others. In fact, some of the first “EMS Viewpoints” columns were written by Jim under a pseudonym. When I took over this column, he was one of the first to congratulate me for taking on such an effort. He offered to send the old files from his previous columns and gave me a few pointers on approaching topics and meeting deadlines. It was his way of encouraging me.

Jim was a kind soul and a saint by any definition a man who lived a full life and made small miracles every day. Thank you, Jim, for showing me the way.

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Bruce Evans is the fire science program coordinator at the Community College of Southern Nevada as well as an adjunct faculty member for the National Fire Academy's EMS and injury prevention courses. A captain at the Henderson (Nev.) Fire Department, he has an associate's degree in fire management and a master's degree in public administration.