National EMS Museum publishes online archive of writings by late EMS visionary Jack Stout

The archive of more than 100 of Stout’s articles and essays was funded through a partnership between FirstWatch and AIMHI

May 14, 2021 03:39 PM

jack stout archives ems pioneer — The National EMS Museum has published an online archive of more than 100 writings of the late Jack Stout (right), an EMS visionary who was known as the father of high-performance EMS and system status management.

By Laura French

CARLSBAD, Calif. — The National EMS Museum has published an online archive of the writings of late EMS visionary Jack Stout through a partnership between FirstWatch and the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration (AIMHI).

The Jack Stout Archive is an open-access collection of more than 100 of Stout’s articles and essays, digitized through funding from FirstWatch and AIMHI, according to a press release. Stout’s son Todd Stout, who is the founder and president of FirstWatch, granted the National EMS Museum the rights to allow public access to the articles in a fully searchable format.

“We are delighted to preserve and share these historical and transformative articles,” said National EMS Museum Director Kristy Van Hoven, in a statement.

Known as the father of high-performance EMS and system status management, Jack Stout developed his concepts in the 1970s to improve EMS systems by making them more efficient and focused on patient care. An economist by trade, he found that applying the science, concepts, and economics used in manufacturing provided the framework for standing up high-quality EMS systems that could afford to provide effective and reliable prehospital care.

Many of Stout’s articles appeared in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), beginning with his pivotal series introducing the concepts of high-performance EMS in the May 1980 edition of the journal.

“Teaming up with AIMHI was the natural and obvious choice to enable The National EMS Museum to ensure my father’s work, which is still so timely today, is available for future generations to learn from,” Todd Stout said in a statement. “We appreciate that JEMS provided a good home for his ideas for more than a decade.”

“AIMHI is proud to partner with FirstWatch to contribute to the creation of the Jack Stout Archive,” said AIMHI President Chip Decker, who is also the CEO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority. “His legacy lives on as many of our member organizations were formed around the high-performance principles and practices of Jack’s work — which is increasingly valuable in today’s economically-challenged EMS landscape.”

On June 24, FirstWatch will hose a special edition of “Conversations That Matter” — a series of thought-provoking discussions in EMS — to answer the question, “Who Was Jack and Why Do His Ideas Still Resonate?” Facilitators Mike Taigman and Rob Lawrence will be joined by Van Hoven, Todd Stout, JEMS Founding Editor Keith Griffiths, and “Stoutian” disciple Jon Washko to explore why Stout’s ideas remain critically relevant for today’s EMS leader. Registration for the session is available on the FirstWatch website.