Nicholas Wagner Selected as the 2025 – 2026 Recipient of the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship for Leadership Development
PLATTE CITY, MO — Nicholas Wagner, Captain at Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS), has been named the 2025 – 2026 Jack Stout EMS Fellow. Endowed by FirstWatch, the fellowship was created in collaboration with the Fitch EMS Foundation.
“Being selected for this opportunity is both an honor and a call to action,” says Wagner. “It represents a meaningful step forward in my leadership journey and also a chance to bring back innovative ideas that will strengthen Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and the service we are able to provide.”
Named in honor of the late Jack Stout, who developed and refined the concept high-performance EMS systems throughout his career, the followship aims to provide a platform for furthering Stout’s core principles:
- people-centered leadership
- data-driven decision-making
- impactful quality improvement
- holistic, system-wide thinking
“Nick is exactly the sort of public safety leader that this award was created to celebrate and empower,” says Todd Stout, founder and president of FirstWatch and Jack Stout’s son. “This was not a decision taken lightly. Our selection committee spent dozens of hours carefully reviewing very compelling applications from 63 highly qualified professionals, which is by far the biggest response we’ve seen to date.”
“What stood out to me about Nick’s application was his clear, first-hand articulation of the dangers of a fragmented data framework,” says Mike Taigman, FirstWatch improvement guide. “He talked about unifying disparate data sources for a comprehensive approach across multiple platforms and has a desire to use it for real-time decision-making and forecasting needs. It would have been music to Jack’s ears!”
MCFRS is an accredited agency serving more than 1 million people over 500 square miles. Approximately 2,000 staff handle more than 120,000 calls for service annually. Its response area includes the suburbs of Washington, D.C., the most populous cities of Maryland, and rural areas. You can read about the agency’s whole blood program here.
“Leadership is about continuously learning, growing, and creating value for the communities we serve,” says Wagner, “and this experience will help me refine my approach to data-driven quality improvement, performance measurements, and clinical integration.”
Jack Stout Fellows attend the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum and either the Fitch & Associates Ambulance Service Manager (ASM) program or the Communication Center Manager (CCM) program with registration and all expenses covered by FirstWatch. The Fellowship is customized to each winner, with a curriculum designed to meet their specific interests and needs. This includes selecting mentors with specific expertise from the FirstWatch leadership team and from across the industry.
Nominations for 2026 – 2027 will be open February, 2026. For more information, please visit FitchEMSFoundation.org and select the Jack Stout EMS Fellowship, endowed by FirstWatch.
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About FirstWatch
Now in its 27th year, FirstWatch helps public safety and healthcare professionals serve their communities through the use of data and the science of performance improvement. Drawing on deep experience in emergency services, the FirstWatch team uses software and personalized solutions for over 500 communities across North America.
About the Fitch EMS Foundation
The Fitch EMS Foundation is a non-profit entity that supports leadership development and research efforts for emergency medical services and public safety. It is endowed by Fitch & Associates, other major organizations and individuals that believe that the future of our profession requires the aggressive development of its future leaders.
About the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum
Now in its 20th year, Pinnacle is the only leadership-focused national meeting that serves all EMS service models. Always located in a retreat-like setting, the conference is renowned for its networking, mentoring and cutting-edge program. This year’s Pinnacle will be at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, July 14 – 18.
