John Ehrhart Selected as the Inaugural Recipient of the 2023 James O. Page Legacy Scholarship and Mentorship Program for New and Aspiring EMS Leaders

Platte City, Missouri—John Ehrhart, flight paramedic for Mercy Air (Air Methods) in Southern California and co-founder of the California Paramedic Foundation has been named the 2023 recipient of the James O. Page Legacy Scholarship. Endowed by Hartwell Medical, the scholarship program is named after the late Jim Page, regarded by many as the father of modern EMS. It was created in partnership with the Fitch EMS Foundation to broaden the perspective and sharpen the skills of new and aspiring leaders to help drive the profession toward an evidenced-based and people-centered future.

“It’s such an honor to receive this scholarship,” Ehrhart said, “I never had an opportunity to work directly with Jim Page, but many of my colleagues have and I understand how important his patient-first contributions were to the EMS profession.”

Ehrhart receives free registration and travel expenses to the 2023 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, hosted by Fitch & Associates. The core of the scholarship is a structured six-part mentorship program, facilitated by Dr. Jay Fitch himself, founding partner of the firm named after him and well-known speaker, author, and educator.

“We are pleased to have had more than two dozen highly qualified nominations for the Legacy Scholarship,” said Dr. Fitch, the executive director of the Fitch EMS Foundation. “I was mentored by Jim and look forward to passing it on to young emerging leaders like John.”

The Foundation, established in 2021, honors Fitch & Associates' long history of leadership development through a variety of scholarship and mentorship programs. The 2024-25 scholarship applications open in March of 2024.

Ehrhart’s mentorship, which begins at Pinnacle, will tackle tough leadership questions over the course of six months, such as ethical decision-making, effective communication skills, and the use of personal vs. positional power. 

Picked as the National Association of EMTs’ paramedic of the year in 2022, Ehrhart has been involved in EMS for more than 10 years as a medic and more recently as the Co-founder of the California Paramedic Foundation. Its mission is to improve the profession through education, innovation, and collaboration. The Foundation is home to the Nicholas Rosecrans Award, which for more than two decades has honored EMS agencies and individuals for outstanding work in injury and illness prevention.

“I worked with Jim in the early years of JEMS and EMS Today,” said Gary Williams, President and CEO of Hartwell Medical. “He made a tremendous impression on me personally and on my career. Jim was passionate about mentoring young leaders with a consistent message of making the patient the priority. We are proud to endow this scholarship and continue Jim’s vision.”

A fire chief, attorney, state EMS director, writer, publisher and speaker, Jim Page dedicated his life to serving others.  Go here to learn more about the James O. Page Legacy Scholarship and the man himself.