County lands EMA director
Jeff Bernatz will be Chickasaw County’s next Emergency Management Agency director, as the Board of Supervisors acknowledged on Monday.The EMA Commission hired Bernatz, who has since stepped down as chief of the Chickasaw County Rescue Squad, at the recommendation of a four-member committee, consisting of the mayors of New Hampton, Lawler, Fredericksburg and the sheriff. The 911 Board, which also works closely with the position, also acknowledged the decision.An applicant pool of nine was narrowed to three interviewees.“It was a tough choice,” said selection committee member and Lawler Mayor Mark Mueterthies.Bernatz had a “well-rounded” background as a first-responder, Mueterthies said, serving as a member of the New Hampton Fire Department, chief of the Chickasaw County Rescue Squad and working as a jailer in Bremer County “when we hired him, so he had a lot of well-rounded experience we needed for the EMA.”— For more on this story, see the Oct. 26 New Hampton Tribune.