The Chippewa County Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 29 to advertise for a Medical Examiner Investigator (MEI) position after discussing coverage and staffing for the county’s emergency medical services.

An EMS staffing update noted EMS director Joe Knudsen was not present but had reported that Conrad (a current provider) remains on payroll and that the county currently has four MEI/EMS personnel. The board discussed whether a fifth MEI is needed to ensure on-call coverage and the chair relayed a suggested change to the posting: require completion of certification with the State of Iowa Medical Examiner's Office within two years in place of a previous reference to Saint Louis University training.

Supervisor (Speaker 2) moved to advertise for the MEI position; Supervisor Scott seconded. The motion specified that applications will be due to the county auditor's office by 01/16/2026 at 4:00 p.m., and the board approved the motion by voice vote. The chair said the posting will be placed on the county website and the bulletin board and will remain posted for 10 days.

The board did not set hiring criteria beyond the certification change discussed; final hiring remains subject to the advertised process and any subsequent board review.