Northwest Rescue

What Northwest Rescue does

Northwest Rescue is a private, locally owned emergency medical services (EMS) organization founded circa 2012 in Harvard, Illinois, providing 911 emergency response, interfacility medical transport, and specialty critical care services across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. The company operates a fleet of 30+ ambulances dispatched from five bases located in Rockford, Loves Park, Harvard, and Ottawa, covering Winnebago, McHenry, and LaSalle Counties and reaching communities from Crystal Lake and Algonquin through Rockford and into Southern Wisconsin. Its service portfolio spans seven integrated offerings: 911 Emergency Response in partnership with regional fire departments; Critical Care Transport for high-acuity hospital-to-hospital transfers requiring ICU-level care; Pediatric & Neonatal Transport featuring PALS/NRP-credentialed paramedics and heated humidified high-flow oxygen technology; Advanced Life Support (ALS) with 12-lead ECG and cardiac monitoring; Basic Life Support (BLS) for stable patient transport; Event EMS Coverage providing on-site medical standby for races, festivals, and corporate events; and Custom Medical Solutions offering dedicated ambulance staffing and rural EMS coverage for municipalities and fire departments. The company reports 40,000+ annual emergency responses, a 4.2-minute average response time, 98% staff critical care certification, and 24/7 continuous coverage.

The company is led by Ryan J. Kurth (CEO, Owner, and Director) and Justen Kurth (Chief Marketing Officer and Physician Liaison), both Kurth family members indicating a founder/family-controlled ownership structure. Revenue is generated through four primary streams: subscription-like recurring municipal and 911 contracts, transaction-fee-based non-emergency medical transport billed through insurance and Medicare/Medicaid, professional-services event standby contracts, and managed-services custom EMS solutions. Customer segments span hospitals and healthcare systems, fire departments, rural municipalities, long-term care and specialty facilities (skilled nursing, dialysis, rehabilitation), event organizers, and individual patients. The business relies on direct sales partnerships, healthcare provider referrals, and community education content marketing through its website. Operational technology infrastructure includes AI-branded dispatch systems, real-time hospital communication, advanced diagnostics equipment, and consumer-facing tools (Stripe-powered online bill pay, JotForm HIPAA-compliant document submission, Webflow-hosted site with Google Maps and YouTube/Vimeo embedded content). The organization also operates under the DBA "NWR Emergency Medical Services" and is licensed under the Illinois Department of Public Health EMS system.

Name

Northwest Rescue

Legal name

Northwest Rescue

Website

https://nwrescue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Northwest Rescue is a private, locally owned EMS organization founded circa 2012 in Harvard, Illinois, providing 911 emergency response, critical care transport, pediatric/neonatal transport, ALS/BLS services, and event medical coverage across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin via 30+ ambulances dispatched from five regional bases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (62191), Ambulance Services (621910)

akta.pro primary industry

Private EMS Providers (Contract/Interfacility) (HLAFANAB)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• Medical transport
• Critical care transport
• 911 response services
• Interfacility transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Harvard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Emergency 911 Response Services: Emergency medical response services provided in partnership with fire departments and as a 911 response provider. Revenue generated through municipal contracts and insurance reimbursement.
2. Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT): Scheduled medical transport for patients between healthcare facilities, dialysis appointments, and home discharges. Revenue through insurance, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, and facility contracts.
3. Event EMS Coverage: Professional on-site medical standby services for events of all sizes. Billed to event organizers as contracted services.
4. Custom EMS Solutions: Tailored emergency medical programs and dedicated ambulance staffing for communities, hospitals, and organizations. Revenue through custom contracts with healthcare systems and municipalities.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Northwest Rescue is a private emergency medical services provider that delivers 911 emergency response, critical care transport, pediatric and neonatal specialty transport, advanced and basic life support ambulance services, on-site event medical standby, and tailored custom EMS staffing programs. The company operates over 30 ambulance rigs out of five bases across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, serving hospitals, fire departments, municipalities, skilled nursing facilities, dialysis centers, event organizers, and individual patients, with reimbursement coming from insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, and direct contracts.

Product overview

Northwest Rescue is an emergency medical services (EMS) organization providing a comprehensive suite of medical transport and emergency response services across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. The company operates a unified service model organized around seven core and specialty offerings: Emergency Response (911) for immediate emergency calls, Critical Care Transport for high-acuity hospital-to-hospital transfers, Pediatric & Neonatal Transport for specialized infant and child transport, Advanced Life Support (ALS) for paramedic-level care, Basic Life Support (BLS) for stable patient transport, Event EMS Coverage for on-site medical standby, and Custom Medical Solutions for tailored EMS programs. These services share operational infrastructure including a fleet of ambulances, trained EMT and paramedic crews, multiple station locations, and integrated dispatch capabilities, enabling the company to respond to 911 emergencies while also supporting scheduled interfacility transports and community health needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Response (911) 911 emergency response services delivered in partnership with local fire departments, providing rapid-response emergency medical care for time-critical situations including cardiac arrests, trauma, and other medical emergencies. Designed for municipalities, fire departments, and individual patients in need of immediate emergency response.
• Critical Care Transport Advanced interfacility transport for high-acuity patients requiring intensive monitoring, ventilator support, multiple IV drips, and ICU-level care during transport between hospitals. Built for hospital transfer centers and critical care teams needing specialized transport with critical care paramedics.
• Pediatric & Neonatal Transport Specialized transport services for infants and children requiring advanced medical support, featuring neonatal isolette capability, pediatric ventilators, and PALS/NRP-credentialed critical care paramedics. Designed for hospital systems requiring advanced pediatric and neonatal transfer capabilities.
• Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedic-led medical transport with advanced diagnostics, cardiac monitoring, 12-lead ECG, IV and medication administration, and advanced airway management for patients requiring higher-level care. Targeted at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and patients needing paramedic-level interfacility transport.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) EMT-staffed medical transport for stable patients requiring professional supervision during transport to hospitals, nursing facilities, dialysis appointments, and outpatient procedures. Designed for healthcare facilities, dialysis centers, and patients needing reliable scheduled transport.
• Event EMS Coverage On-site medical standby services for events of all sizes, providing EMT and paramedic staffing, ambulances, medical tents, and coordination with local 911 and public safety agencies. Built for event organizers needing professional medical coverage for permit compliance and participant safety.
• Custom Medical Solutions Tailored emergency medical programs built to meet the unique needs of communities, hospitals, and organizations, including dedicated ambulance staffing, rural EMS coverage, community medicine initiatives, and fire department EMS support. Designed for municipalities, hospitals, and organizations requiring customized EMS deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ annual emergency responses across service area
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fire Departments (Regional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwest Rescue works alongside fire departments as a trusted 911 response provider. This partnership provides supplemental EMS capacity and ensures rapid emergency response coverage for communities across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
• Hospitals and Healthcare Systems (Regional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with regional hospitals for emergency response, interfacility transport, and specialty care transfers including pediatric and neonatal transport. Includes coordination with cardiac centers, stroke centers, and trauma teams.
• Municipalities (Rural and Underserved Communities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom EMS programs designed to improve access and response times in rural and underserved areas. Provides coverage solutions for communities with limited or declining EMS availability.
• Long-Term Care and Specialty FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and dialysis centers for scheduled patient transport and discharge coordination services.
• Corporate and Institutional PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom EMS solutions and event medical coverage services for corporate events and institutional partners requiring on-site medical standby.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Priority Ambulance: Priority Ambulance is a privately held national EMS provider offering 911, interfacility, critical care, and bariatric transport across multiple states. It is comparable to Northwest Rescue in business model (private contract-based EMS), service breadth, and growth posture.
• Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service: Superior is a long-standing Illinois-based private EMS provider operating across the Midwest with 911, interfacility, critical care, and event services. It is comparable to Northwest Rescue as a direct regional competitor serving hospitals, municipalities, and healthcare facilities in overlapping Illinois territory.
• Bell Ambulance: Bell Ambulance is a Wisconsin-based private EMS provider serving southeastern Wisconsin with 911 response, interfacility, and critical care transport. It is comparable to Northwest Rescue as a direct regional Midwest private EMS peer with overlapping service model and customer base.
• Acadian Ambulance Service: Acadian Ambulance is a private EMS provider offering 911 response, interfacility transport, critical care, and air medical services across the South-Central U.S. It is directly comparable to Northwest Rescue in operating model, service portfolio, and reliance on municipal contracts and hospital partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Falck USA: Falck is a global EMS and healthcare services provider operating in the U.S. with 911, interfacility, and municipal EMS contracts. It is comparable to Northwest Rescue as a large-scale private EMS provider competing for the same type of municipal and hospital partnerships.
• American Medical Response (AMR): American Medical Response is the largest private EMS provider in the U.S., offering 911 response, interfacility, critical care, and event coverage across dozens of states. It is comparable to Northwest Rescue in service mix but is a far larger incumbent that competes for the same municipal and hospital contracts nationwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@northwestrescue
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthwestRescueCCT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-rescue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Rescue