Chief Jim Cole began his EMS career while attending Kent State University in 1984, completing his BS in Community Health Education, while simultaneously attended paramedic school in Akron, OH. He earned top honors and became one of the youngest paramedics in the State of Ohio. Jim served as a 911 paramedic and EMS supervisor in the Cleveland area while developing a fixed wing air medical service. He attained the level of Chief Paramedic.
While working as an MICU/Flight Paramedic for Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, he offered some of the first EMS for Children (EMS-C) training in the country. He was also part of the first Cleveland ER paramedic program, expanding the scope of paramedic practice in the state. Jim became a sought after speaker at regional and state conferences in critical care and remote medicine. Jim served as the Clinical Coordinator for the Akron General Medical Center Paramedic Program and as an EMS Coordinator for the Meridia Health System in Cleveland, Ohio. Cole developed a non-profit agency called Adventure Leadership US at Case Western Reserve University while simultaneously teaching wilderness medical courses for SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine and continues to be a Senior Instructor. His continued passion for education and effective leadership led him to complete a MA in Higher Education from Geneva College while he served as Lead Instructor and eventually as Program Manager of the Cleveland Clinic School of EMS. Jim currently serves as the Chief of San Juan Island EMS and Island Air Ambulance north of Seattle, Washington near Victoria, BC responding on land, sea, and air to the remote waterways and islands of the county. Jim is a BCCTPC Certified Flight Paramedic and a designated Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO) by the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Chief Cole serves on the Board of the International Association of EMS Chiefs and is the Washington State Representative for the IAFCCP. Jim is also a Certified Medical Transport Executive (CMTE) through the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS). In his spare time he and his wife enjoy raising their three children up in the San Juan Islands, camping, and hiking.
