ABOUT THE CALL TO HONOR
Celebrating Excellence in EMS
The Call to Honor is Muskegon County’s signature program recognizing the exceptional dedication, courage, and service of our emergency medical services (EMS) professionals. Established by the Muskegon County Medical Control Authority (MCMCA), this program honors the men and women who respond to the community’s most critical moments with skill, compassion, and integrity.
Rooted in the belief that every call is a call to serve, the Call to Honor highlights the everyday heroism of EMS clinicians, first responders, dispatchers, and healthcare partners who embody the highest standards of prehospital care. Through annual recognition, professional development, and community celebration, this initiative ensures that those who dedicate their lives to saving others are never overlooked.
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Purpose and Vision
The Call to Honor was born from a simple idea: that extraordinary service deserves extraordinary recognition. EMS professionals face the unpredictable every day, ranging from life-saving trauma interventions to the quiet reassurance offered to a family in crisis. The program’s mission is to shine a light on those stories of courage, teamwork, and excellence that too often go untold.
Beyond awards, the Call to Honor seeks to strengthen the EMS community by fostering pride, connection, and public awareness of the vital role prehospital medicine plays in our healthcare system. It’s not just about celebrating individuals, it’s about elevating the entire profession.
THE MEANING OF MEDALS
Symbols of Valor, Service, and Sacrifice​
For centuries, medals have served as tangible reminders of courage, commitment, and selflessness. In the military, they are more than decoration, they are a language of honor. Each one tells a story of sacrifice made, duty upheld, and lives changed. They connect generations of service members through a shared understanding that valor deserves to be seen and remembered.
Yet, within our nation’s borders, another group quietly faces danger every day, our EMS professionals and first responders. Like soldiers on the battlefield, they run toward chaos, carry the weight of life and death decisions, and often bear unseen scars from the experiences they endure. But unlike the military, EMS has rarely had a structured way to formally recognize those acts of heroism, endurance, or lifelong dedication.
The Call to Honor program was born from that belief: that the people who protect our communities deserve the same level of visible respect and acknowledgment as those who protect our country. Medals and awards are not mere tokens, they are a promise that service will be remembered, that sacrifice will be honored, and that heroism, in all its forms, will never go unnoticed.
By expanding the tradition of medals to EMS and first responders, we affirm that valor is not defined by a uniform or a battlefield, it’s defined by courage in the face of human suffering, compassion under pressure, and the willingness to answer the call when others cannot.
EMS IN CRISIS
86% REPORT BURNOUT
14% CONTEMPLATE SUICIDE
36% QUIT WITHIN 1 YEAR
80% FEWER ENTERING THE FIELD
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) stands as the front line of healthcare, responding to every cardiac arrest, crash, overdose, and disaster. Yet, behind the sirens and heroism lies a quiet emergency of its own. Across the nation, the EMS system is breaking under the weight of impossible expectations, inadequate funding, and unsustainable strain on its people.
More than 86% of EMS clinicians report burnout, 14% have contemplated suicide, and over one in three leave the profession within their first year. The number of newly certified paramedics in Michigan has plummeted from 1,200 graduates to fewer than 250 in just two years, while the state will need over 6,000 more providers in the next decade to meet demand.
Most EMS agencies operate at a loss, up to 72% of emergency calls generate no profit, forcing them to depend on community goodwill, local subsidies, and volunteerism to survive. The work is physically demanding, emotionally draining, and often undervalued compared to the critical role EMS plays in saving lives. For many, the calling to serve has become a daily battle between compassion and exhaustion.
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Behind every siren is a provider fighting to hold the system, and themselves, together.
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The crisis runs deeper than numbers. It’s about the unseen cost of trauma, the families left waiting when no ambulance is available, and the providers who shoulder the pain of every loss they witness. EMS professionals are the lifeline between crisis and care, yet the system that relies on them has left them running on empty.​
THE LOCAL IMPACT
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A Call to Honor Their Sacrifice
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The Call to Honor program was created to do more than recognize achievement, it’s a statement that we see you. That the courage, resilience, and humanity of our EMS providers deserve to be celebrated, not forgotten in the noise of sirens and statistics.
Honoring their sacrifices is not the solution, but it is a beginning. By acknowledging their struggles, uplifting their stories, and investing in their future, we take one small but meaningful step toward rebuilding a system worthy of the people who give everything to keep us safe.
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Recognizing
Excellence
Honoring the Heroes
Behind the Sirens​
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The Call to Honor Awards celebrate the exceptional courage, compassion, and professionalism of Muskegon County’s EMS providers, dispatchers, and healthcare partners. Through community-sponsored recognition, we uplift the stories of those who go above and beyond, and remind every responder that their work truly matters.
Investing in Education
Fueling the Future
of EMS
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EMS professionals face some of the toughest physical and emotional demands in healthcare. The Call to Honor program helps fund provider wellness and recognition initiatives proven to improve morale, retention, and long-term workforce stability, strengthening the lifeline that serves our community.
Resilience & Retention
Caring for Those Who
Care for Others​
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EMS professionals face some of the toughest physical and emotional demands in healthcare. The Call to Honor program helps fund provider wellness and recognition initiatives proven to improve morale, retention, and long-term workforce stability—strengthening the lifeline that serves our community.
Building Community
Uniting EMS and the Community
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By engaging local businesses, hospitals, and residents, the Call to Honor builds stronger ties between first responders and the people they protect. Each sponsorship, donation, and event reinforces a shared commitment to sustain Muskegon County’s emergency care system for generations to come.
​​Proven Success Elsewhere​
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Recognition programs like Call to Honor have already shown measurable results across the country. In California, a volunteer-funded EMS recognition foundation has improved retention rates and boosted recruitment through public visibility and community sponsorships. Texas and Missouri have implemented similar locally sponsored programs that not only increased workforce morale but also contributed to higher certification renewals and longer provider tenure.
​These efforts demonstrate a clear truth: when EMS professionals feel valued, they stay in the profession, take pride in their work, and mentor the next generation.
ANSWERING THE CALL
Be Part of Something That Honors Those Who Serve
Every day, EMS professionals and first responders answer the call, stepping into moments of crisis with courage, compassion, and skill. The Call to Honor program exists to ensure their sacrifices never go unseen.
By donating or sponsoring, you’re helping fund lifesaving education, provider recognition, and scholarships that strengthen Muskegon County’s EMS system from within. Your support turns gratitude into action, directly improving the lives of those who dedicate theirs to protecting others.
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Where Your Donation Goes
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100% of net proceeds from the Call to Honor program directly support EMS recognition, scholarships, and awards, not a single cent goes to staff or administration.
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Custom Medals & Challenge Coins honoring valor and service
Scholarships for EMS clinicians advancing their education
Public Recognition & Ceremonies celebrating Lifesaving achievements
Event Equipment & Displays that preserve these moments of honor
STEERING COMMITTEE
Jeff Trosper
Trinity Health EMS
Alan Styles
Dalton Twp Fire Department
Jonathon Degen
White Lake Ambulance Authority
Treasurer
Jason Wolford
Muskegon Central Dispatch
Joseph Knop
Blue Lake Twp Fire Department