Missoula Emergency Services, Inc.

Missoula Emergency Services, Inc. (MESI) offers high-quality, unsubsidized, paramedic-level ambulance service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to the 73,000 residents of the city of Missoula and many of the 120,000 residents of Missoula county.

With 10 ambulances, one ALS supervisor response car, one medical stand-by event trailer, and an UTV, MESI responds to approximately 11,000 emergency dispatches each year while also providing mutual aid for Granite, Powell, Ravalli, Lake, and Mineral Counties.

MESI proudly provides Critical Care Transport, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Transport, Bariatric Transport, Advanced Life Support (ALS) Transport, Basic Life Support (BLS) Transport, Back Country Emergency Response, Event Stand-By, and support to our fellow first responders by providing on-scene ambulance staging for structure fires, tactical police operations, and hazardous material incidents.

Service to the Community

Missoula Emergency Services began as Arrow Ambulance in May of 1978. A full time staff was established by that July supplemented by an additional 10 part time EMTs. Arrow Ambulance started stationed in the basement of Community Medical Center handling 100-125 calls per month. The station moved to Mary Avenue and then Kensington Avenue in the early 1980s before moving to the current location of 1200 Burlington Avenue in 1984 where Missoula Emergency Services’ Central Station resides today. In 1981 “Medic 5”, the first ALS ground transport ambulance in Western Montana, was introduced. Medic 5 was staffed by Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) nurses and EMTs and was established with equipment purchased by the Community Medical Center’s Women’s Auxiliary. By 1988, Arrow Ambulance was covering 400 calls per month.

Arrow Ambulance became Missoula Emergency Services, Inc. in 1993. In 1998, Dave Kuhn came onboard to manage the company as it continued to grow and provide ambulance service for the City of Missoula and throughout surrounding Powell, Ravalli, Granite, Lake and Mineral Counties.

Today, Missoula Emergency Services staffs a minimum of five advanced life support (ASL) ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dedication to Education

Missoula Emergency Services began providing EMT-level education in 1986 and brought the first paramedic-level training program to Western Montana shortly thereafter. Today, training opportunities at MESI have expanded to include National Registry EMT Basic and Advanced EMT training, partnering with the Missoula College to offer an Associate in Applied Science degree in Paramedicine, and providing multiple levels of CPR and first aid training. Missoula Emergency Services is a certified NREMT Training Center, a certified NAEMT Training Center, and an AHA Authorized Training Center.

Numerous EMTs and paramedics who have trained and served with Missoula Emergency Services have pursued additional education to become registered nurses, physician assistants, and doctors; many of whom have returned to the Missoula area to provide for their fellow community members.