Life EMS launches first Ottawa County EMT class as service begins in Grand Haven area
Life EMS Ambulance welcomed its first Emergency Medical Technician class in Ottawa County on Tuesday, March 3, marking a major milestone as the company begins providing 911 paramedic ambulance response across the greater Grand Haven area.
GRAND HAVEN TWP. — Life EMS Ambulance welcomed its first Emergency Medical Technician class in Ottawa County on Tuesday, March 3, marking a major milestone as the company begins providing 911 paramedic ambulance response across the greater Grand Haven area.
The 14-week program took place at the Grand Haven Township Fire Department, serving as the inaugural class of 13 students who live in the communities Life EMS now serves.
The launch of the class coincides with Life EMS beginning paramedic ambulance operations for Spring Lake Township, the Village of Spring Lake, the City of Ferrysburg, Grand Haven Charter Township, the City of Grand Haven, Crockery Township, Robinson Township and Port Sheldon Township, following a formal selection process by all participating municipalities.
“This is all about building a sustainable, community-based EMS system with high-quality, best-trained personnel being the foundation,” said Mark Meijer, president of Life EMS Ambulance. “We are investing in local residents who want to serve where they live. By training EMTs right here in Ottawa County, we are strengthening our partnership with these communities and ensuring high-quality emergency care for years to come.”
Municipalities in northwest Ottawa County opted to switch from Trinity Health EMS to Life EMS late last year after local fire chiefs and public safety leaders recommended a change in ambulance providers after several issues were brought up with the Grand Haven Area Ambulance Committee last summer.
“We looked at some of the changes and some of the concerns that we had with the consistency with staffing, consistency of response times, patient care, and really just our expectations in what our communities deserve and what they deserve moving forward in terms of EMS response,” Nichole Hudson, chief of the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, told The Grand Haven Tribune.
Thirteen Grand Haven-area local students began a 14-week training program at Grand Haven Township Fire Department. [Courtesy]
The township’s contract with Trinity, which was shared with the other municipalities, expired on Dec. 31, and it switched to Life EMS.
The agreement is expected to last for four years with three two-year extension options. Hudson noted that Life EMS was also the only provider to agree to the committee’s terms and standards without any subsidy.
As the City of Grand Haven contemplated the switch, several noted that local emergency medical service had not maintained a high level of quality when Trinity took over for North Ottawa Community Hospital in 2023, which had served the area since 2005.
“I’ve heard from a lot of community members that are not happy with the ambulance service we currently have,” said Councilmember Mike Dora. “This, to me, looks like it’s going to be a step up.”
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Life EMS is the region's largest locally owned and continuously operating paramedic ambulance service, operating throughout approximately 5,000 square miles of West Michigan, including Grand Rapids/Kent, Portage/Kalamazoo, Ottawa, Ionia, Newaygo, Oceana, Lake, Mason, Allegan and Van Buren counties.
The organization is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services and holds the Medical Priority Dispatch Center of Excellence designation — national benchmarks for clinical and operational excellence.
Another class will be offered in the fall. Prospective participants may sign up at lifeems.com/education.
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