Missoula Emergency Services

What Missoula Emergency Services does

Missoula Emergency Services, Inc. (MESI) is a privately held emergency medical services provider headquartered in Missoula, Montana. Founded in 1978 as Arrow Ambulance and renamed in 1993, the company delivers 24/7/365 paramedic-level ambulance response to the city of Missoula (~73,000 residents) and Missoula County (~120,000 residents), logging approximately 11,000 emergency dispatches annually. Its fleet consists of ten ambulances plus support vehicles, with a contractual minimum of five ALS-staffed ambulances on duty at all times. The company also operates mutual aid agreements with five surrounding counties, extending its effective service footprint across western Montana.

Beyond core 911 ALS response, MESI runs a diversified transport portfolio that includes Critical Care, NICU, and Bariatric transports — higher-acuity service lines that expand revenue mix beyond emergency response. The company is also a training provider, operating an EMS Academy that delivers EMT Basic, Advanced EMT, and AHA courses, and partnering with Missoula College to offer a Paramedic degree program. This integrated training function serves as both a workforce pipeline and a potential ancillary revenue stream. Community-facing services such as car seat safety checks further extend brand presence within the local market.

MESI's business model rests on fee-for-service transport revenue (911 ALS, interfacility, and specialized transports), supplemented by training fees. As a private ambulance provider operating under municipal franchise for the primary 911 contract, its revenue is highly correlated with regional population, call volume, and reimbursement rates from public and commercial payers. Leadership has been continuous since 1998 under President Dave Kuhn, and the company has not raised external funding, operating on a self-funded, long-tenured operating model.

Name

Missoula Emergency Services

Legal name

Missoula Emergency Services, Inc.

Website

https://missoulaems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Missoula Emergency Services, Inc. (MESI) is a privately held Montana EMS provider operating 24/7 ALS ambulance response across Missoula city and county, serving ~120,000 residents with ~11,000 annual dispatches and specialized Critical Care, NICU, and Bariatric transports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (62191)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• Paramedic ambulance services
• Advanced life support transport
• EMS training programs
• Critical care transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Emergency Medical Transport Services: Primary revenue stream from providing 24/7 paramedic-level ambulance service to 73,000 city residents and 120,000 county residents. Services include ALS and BLS transport, critical care transport, and mutual aid response to surrounding counties.
2. EMS Training and Certification Programs: Revenue from accredited training programs including EMT Basic, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic training. Programs offered through partnership with Missoula College for associate degree in paramedicine. Also includes AHA certification courses (BLS, ACLS, PALS) and NAEMT courses.
3. American Heart Association Skills Sessions: Skills check-off sessions for AHA HeartCode blended learning courses including BLS CPR ($35), ACLS ($75), PALS ($75), and HeartSaver ($35).
4. BLS and ALS Refreshers: 24-hour refreshers offered annually for EMS professionals renewing certifications. Includes CPR renewal, PEARS, PALS certifications and best practices updates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Missoula Emergency Services operates a 24/7, 365-day paramedic-level ground ambulance service responding to approximately 11,000 emergency dispatches per year for the 73,000 residents of Missoula city and 120,000 residents of Missoula County, with mutual aid to surrounding counties. Service offerings include ALS and BLS transport, Critical Care Transport, NICU Transport, Bariatric Transport, event stand-by medical coverage, and back-country emergency response. The company also runs an accredited EMS education division delivering EMT Basic, Advanced EMT, Paramedicine (Associate's Degree with Missoula College), BLS/ALS refreshers, and American Heart Association skills sessions (BLS CPR, ACLS, PALS, HeartSaver), alongside community child passenger safety programs.

Product overview

Missoula Emergency Services operates as a single unified emergency medical services organization offering both direct patient care (24/7 paramedic-level ambulance and transport services) and education/training programs. The EMS operations division provides Critical Care Transport, NICU Transport, Bariatric Transport, ALS Transport, BLS Transport, Back Country Emergency Response, and Event Stand-By services from a fleet of 10 ambulances and support vehicles. The education division offers a comprehensive suite of accredited training including the Paramedicine Program (73-credit Associate's Degree with Missoula College), Advanced EMT Training, EMT Basic Training, BLS/ALS Refreshers, and AHA-certified courses (BLS CPR, ACLS, PALS, HeartSaver). Community outreach includes free Child Passenger Safety car seat checks. The organization is a certified NREMT Training Center, NAEMT Training Center, and AHA Authorized Training Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic-Level Ambulance Service) 24/7, 365-day paramedic-level ground ambulance service providing emergency response to approximately 11,000 emergency dispatches annually for 73,000 Missoula city residents and 120,000 Missoula County residents, with mutual aid to surrounding counties.
• ALS and BLS Ground Transport Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support patient transport services staffed and equipped at the appropriate clinical level for each patient's needs.
• Critical Care Transport

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Missoula CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Missoula College (University of Montana) to offer a 73-credit, two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Paramedicine. This program provides comprehensive, hands-on education in paramedicine and is the primary pathway for paramedic training in Western Montana.
• American Heart AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESI is an AHA Authorized Training Center providing BLS CPR, ACLS, and PALS certification courses through the HeartCode blended learning platform. Skills check-off sessions are conducted at their training center.
• National Registry of EMTs (NREMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESI is a certified NREMT Training Center, providing National Registry EMT Basic and Advanced EMT training programs.
• NAEMTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESI is a certified NAEMT Training Center, offering NAEMT course training programs for EMS professionals.
• Safe Kids MissoulasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for child passenger safety education and car seat check events. Safe Kids Missoula is part of the national Safe Kids coalition providing car seat safety resources.
• Missoula Rural Fire DistrictsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for child passenger safety programs, offering additional car seat check locations and resources to the community.
• Missoula Public HealthsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity health partner providing resources and support for child passenger safety initiatives and community health education.
• Frenchtown Rural Fire DistrictsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for child passenger safety programs serving the Frenchtown area and extending car seat check resources to additional communities.
• Buckle-Up MontanasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide child passenger safety initiative partner under the Montana Department of Transportation, providing additional resources and awareness for car seat safety programs.
• Community Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner dating to the founding of the company. Community Medical Center's Women's Auxiliary originally purchased equipment for Medic 5, the first ALS ground transport ambulance in Western Montana.
• Providence St. Patrick HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional hospital partner for healthcare coordination and patient transport services in the Missoula area.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Falck USA: US arm of a global emergency response and ambulance operator providing 911, interfacility, and event medical services. Comparable at the service-line level (ALS, BLS, specialty transport) but operating at a far broader geographic and capital scale than MESI.
• American Medical Response (AMR): Largest private ambulance operator in the United States, providing 911, interfacility, and specialty transport across hundreds of communities. Competes with MESI in adjacent Montana markets and is the most likely national consolidator to target a regional franchise of MESI's profile.
• Global Medical Response: Parent organization that owns AMR, Air Methods, and other large EMS/air medical brands. Best-in-class comparable on the consolidated private EMS business model and the most credible counterparty in any potential franchise transaction.

Direct peers

• LifeNet EMS: Non-profit and for-profit regional EMS provider covering multi-county service areas with 911 response, ALS/BLS transport, and specialty services. Highly comparable operating model to MESI in terms of being the community-embedded primary provider for a region.
• Priority Ambulance: Privately held regional EMS operator built via acquisition of municipal and county-level franchises. Closely comparable in service mix (911, ALS, BLS, specialty transport, training) and in its strategy of acquiring or operating in smaller metropolitan and rural service areas.
• Mohawk Ambulance Service: Family-owned regional ambulance operator providing 911, ALS/BLS, critical care, and bariatric transport. Closely comparable to MESI in operating model, ownership structure, service mix, and geographic concentration in a defined service territory.
• Acadian Ambulance Service: Privately held, multi-state ambulance company operating ALS/BLS ground transport, specialty transport (including neonatal and bariatric), and AHA-style EMS training. Operates a vertically integrated service + training model similar to MESI but at significantly larger regional scale.
• Empress EMS: Privately held regional ambulance provider delivering 911, ALS/BLS, critical care, and bariatric transport plus AHA-style training programs. Operates with a similarly integrated training + transport structure and competes for the same private EMS franchise-style contracts.

Others

• Air Methods Corporation: Largest US air medical transport operator, frequently partnering with ground EMS for interfacility critical care and NICU transport. Comparable at the specialty/critical care transport level relevant to MESI's NICU and Critical Care lines, but operating in the air rather than ground domain.

Emerging players

• MedStar Mobile Healthcare: Public-private partnership mobile healthcare provider offering 911 response, community paramedicine, and interfacility transport. Comparable in service breadth but typically larger and more integrated with municipal systems than MESI's private-only model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MissoulaEMS

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Missoula Emergency Services