Pioneers of Paramedicine™

Lifetime Acievement Award and Future Exhibit
Announced by the
County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association

Los Angeles, California – June 18, 2009 -- The County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association Board of Directors is proud to announce the creation of a nationwide program to recognize and honor the “Pioneers of Paramedicine” – people whose lives and accomplishments exemplify the courage, independence, and spirit of innovation that helped shape the development of modern emergency medical services in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.

Honorees will be nominated and selected on an annual basis, and recognized with a unique Lifetime Achievement Award at a special induction ceremony presented each year by the museum’s honorary chairman Randolph Mantooth and the board of directors.

The first honorees will be Dr. J. Michael Criley from Los Angeles, Dr. Eugene L. Nagel from Miami, Dr. Leonard A. Cobb from Seattle, and Dr. Walter Graf from Los Angeles. These four men are the founding fathers of the original paramedic programs that were introduced to the nation in the late 1960s. Details about the inaugural induction ceremony, at which all four doctors have graciously accepted an invitation to attend, will be announced in the fall of 2009. Visit the Pioneers of Paramedicine page at www.LACountyFireMuseum.com in the coming months for updated information.

The purpose of this program is to preserve the personal histories and achievements of the individual honorees, and to make their stories available in print and on video for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of Fire and EMS professionals and the public alike when visiting the museum. The nomination and selection criteria for future recipients are currently being established, and will be announced in 2010.

Pioneers of Paramedicine will become a permanent display at the museum’s future home – a two-story 55,000 square foot state-of-the-art exhibit hall/event and educational center in the city of Bellflower, California. The Pioneers display will be housed with Jim Page’s Rescue 11, and the original Squad 51 and Engine 51 from the 1970s television show EMERGENCY!

Any persons or organizations interested in donating printed articles, photographs and/or video materials relating to these four doctors, or who wish to inquire about endorsement opportunities for this project, please contact Museum Board Member/Pioneers of Paramedicine Committee Chairman, Nancy McFarland, by email: Nancy@PioneersOfParamedicine.org.

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FIRE MUSEUM
The County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association is a Public Benefit non profit 501(c)(3) Corporation, established in 1975 and incorporated in 1989. Acquisitions, restorations and operating funds are supported by monthly and annual membership dues paid by 3,000 active duty Los Angeles County Firefighters, retirees, members of other fire departments, and the public.

The museum’s collection includes over sixty historical apparatus, some dating back to the late 1800s, as well as hundreds of artifacts and thousands of photographs. The most popular vehicles in the collection are the original paramedic/rescue Squad 51 and Engine 51 from the 1970s television show EMERGENCY! The collection is currently housed in warehouse locations in South Gate and Bellflower, California.

The Museum Association is governed by a seven-member board of directors, nominated and elected by the membership every two years. All board members are non-compensated volunteers with between eight and twenty-five years of individual service, providing the organization with longevity in leadership and a forward-thinking vision for the future. James O. Page was the sitting president at the time of his passing in 2004. Randolph Mantooth has served as honorary chairman and spokesperson since 2005.

The board of directors has retained world-renowned museum consultants, ERA of Los Angeles, and museum exhibit design experts, Jack Rouse & Associates of Cincinnati, to provide a feasibility study and business plan, and to create a visitor experience package, as they move forward with plans to construct a new museum and exhibit hall, including a restaurant and meeting and event facilities, targeted to open to the public within the next three years.

Artist’s rendering of the future home of the
County of Los Angeles Fire Museum & Event Center