About Us
Whatcom County EMS saves lives. We help them do more.
A volunteer-run 501(c)(3) based in Bellingham, funding the equipment, training, and research that public budgets don't reach.
The EMS Foundation of Whatcom County was founded in 2022 by a group of volunteers who came to the idea from different directions.
Some of them worked in emergency medicine and had spent years watching public budgets cover the essentials but stop short of what would make pre-hospital care here genuinely excellent. Dr. Marvin Wayne was among them.
Others had been on the receiving end of that care, or had family members who had, and wanted to give something back to the system that helped them. When they went looking for a way to do it, they found there wasn't one. Jim, our current president, was in this group.
King County had solved a version of this decades earlier with the Medic One Foundation, which lets residents support emergency medicine beyond what their taxes already fund. Our founders saw no reason Whatcom County couldn't have something similar, and in 2022 they started the EMS Foundation of Whatcom County.
Not long after, we heard from a family whose father collapsed during a Father's Day lunch at Semiahmoo. Staff started CPR and brought an AED, a physician who happened to be nearby stepped in, and the ALS crew shocked the patient a second time on the way to the hospital when his heart went into abnormal rhythm again. The man recovered and returned to work full time. His family became early donors to the foundation and committed to giving every year.
Our Story
Our Mission
To fund innovative educational, technical, and research initiatives that enhance emergency medical care and save lives across Whatcom County.
Every dollar we raise stays in the county, and every decision about where it goes is made by volunteers who live here.
By the Numbers
$15,000
Granted in the past two years
10
Agencies supported
230,000
Population of Whatcom County served by those agencies
What We Do
Grants
Funding equipment, training, and research for agencies across the county.
Mental Health Support
Support for the providers who carry the weight of these calls.
Future Efforts
We're working toward expanding our work to include education and outreach so more bystanders know what to do.
See past recipients ->
Board Members
The volunteers who lead the foundation.
Meet the Board ->
Financials
Annual reports, Form 990, and where the money goes.
View financials ->