Los Angeles County Fire Museum

“The story of the paramedics in America is a blend of science, history, individual performances, irony, and even humor. Most of all, it is a story of people helping people.” ~James O. Page

One need only look at the history books to understand that the concept of pre-hospital emergency care in the United States originated a few hundred years ago on the battlefields of America’s early wars. However, the evolution from concept to profession is relatively recent – less than forty years have passed since the word “paramedic” was first introduced into the common vernacular of the American public.

Even though doctors in Miami and Seattle were running pilot programs for out-of-hospital cardiac emergencies with their local fire departments in the late 1960’s, the “birth” of the U.S. paramedic program is synonymous with Los Angeles County, for two primary reasons: 

• Los Angeles County hospitals and fire departments were the first in the nation to operate a “mobile intensive care paramedic” program with legal authority, defined by the California legislature’s passage of the Wedworth-Townsend Act in July 1970.

• The television series, Emergency!, which debuted in January 1972, brought “Squad 51” and Los Angeles County Firefighter/Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto – fictional characters based on real-life department paramedics  -- into our nation’s living rooms every Saturday night for seven years. The rest, as they say, is history.

But, it wasn’t an accident of history that this show happened. The executive producer, Robert A. Cinader, and the technical advisor, then LACoFD Battalion Chief James O. Page, knew exactly what they were doing, and understood the platform that Emergency! afforded this fledgling occupation. In 1972, there were only twelve paramedic squads operating in the entire United States; eight of them in LA County. Cinader and Page were both visionaries and passionate about the program, and as a result of their combined foresight and perseverance, Americans went from not knowing what a paramedic was in 1972, to just four years later knowing they could dial 9-1-1 and emergency medical help would come… and still does today. 

The County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association is proud to own two very special vehicles that have become as synonymous with EMS and paramedics as Los Angeles County. The late Jim Page, often referred to as the Father of Modern Emergency Medical Services, restored a 1947 Ford panel truck to an exact replica of the first Los Angeles County Fire Department rescue squad he drove. His beloved RESCUE 11 is a reminder of the humble beginnings of EMS, and sits alongside the restored original SQUAD 51 used during the seven years Emergency! was on the air. These legacy vehicles are true historical icons that represent the foundation of the modern day EMS profession in the United States, and perhaps in the world.

The museum association board members are pleased to welcome this year’s “EMS Diversity in America” World EMS Tour to our Bellflower, California facility on Tuesday, October 7^th for a look back in time. We hope you’ll enjoy the unique opportunity to connect with your roots, and will come away with a deeper appreciation for the people and the events that helped advance the establishment of ALS systems all across the country during the 1970s.