About Life EMS
Life EMS runs much like a family business. Jimmy Johnson started out with the company in 1968 as a Red Cross first aid technician and became an EMT, then a supervisor. The original owner, Jim Fulmer, offered him a co-owner opportunity in 1972. Two years later, Johnson purchased the remaining shares of the business and has been the sole owner ever since.
The company has enjoyed the longstanding loyalty of a number of talented managers, growing from the small organization it was in the early 70’s to one of the most respected, award-winning ambulance services in Oklahoma. Life EMS takes pride in discovering, purchasing and implementing leading-edge technologies and clinical innovations to benefit patients and employees.
In December 1999 Johnson founded Life EMS’ sister company, Accufile Inc., a full-service ambulance billing and consulting company that performs the accounts receivable function for Life EMS’ ambulance operations.
Johnson credits the company’s success to the versatility and capabilities of its managers and staff. He says, “We’re a successful rural provider because our managers and staff are not afraid to wear more than one hat—and wear those hats well.”
It’s not unusual for Life EMS managers, educators and supervisors to travel throughout the service areas, lending their experience and expertise where and when it is needed.
Jimmy Johnson
As the innovator and visionary behind Life EMS, Jimmy Johnson is a hands-on EMS trailblazer. Johnson has been the owner and president since 1974, after spending six years progressing through the ranks of caregiver, supervisor, then partner.
Under his leadership, Life EMS has become one of the leading ambulance services in Oklahoma. Serving Enid and Garfield County since 1967, Life EMS provides emergency medical service and medical transports to citizens in its service area, including Hennessey.
Johnson is a native of Frederick, Oklahoma and a graduate of Phillips University. His Oklahoma roots fuel a civic and entrepreneurial spirit. Locally, he has served on many community boards, including The American Red Cross, Enid Chamber of Commerce, Enid Soccer Club, and The United Way. He is active in the Oklahoma Ambulance Association and has been appointed to a number of advisory councils and task forces to assist with systems improvement and emergency planning for our state.
Always seeking the best for local citizens, Johnson is active at a national level as well. He was invited to join the board of the American Ambulance Association in 2005, participating in many committees and leadership roles, and being elected as the organization’s president in 2013. As the immediate past president, he continues to be a leader on the national level, a respected expert often asked to provide counsel to policy makers in Washington D.C. The American Ambulance association is the premiere trade association representing ambulance services which serve 75% of the US population.
In addition to Life EMS, the family of businesses includes Accufile, a billing and consulting company and Uplift, a community wheelchair van service.
The Emergency Preparedness Office at the Oklahoma State Department of Health contracts Life to manage the Medical Emergency Response Center, which provides resources to 17 counties in northwest Oklahoma in the event of a disaster. Life EMS is one of a few emergency medical services in Oklahoma that provides patient care to area citizens at the highest level (Paramedic Life Support) without financial assistance from the city, county or state it serves.
Johnson’s commitment to the EMS industry and the communities he serves has earned him the respect of patients, the EMS crews who care for them, and the national rural EMS policy makers. His work has also earned awards and recognition, including:
The Presidential Service Award, Oklahoma Ambulance Association; President’s Award, Enid Soccer Club; The Beverly Doyle RN EMS Leadership Award, Oklahoma Emergency Medical Technician Association; President’s Award for Excellence, Oklahoma Emergency Medical Technician Association; and the J Walter Schaefer Memorial Award for Excellence from The American Ambulance Association.