Mitchell EMS enters into partnership with Iowa college, providing paramedic internships

Jan. 4—MITCHELL — A newly formed partnership between the city of Mitchell and an Iowa community college could help recruit paramedics to the Mitchell Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Division.

The Mitchell City Council approved an internship agreement on Tuesday with Northwest Iowa Community College that will allow students to intern at the Mitchell Fire and EMS Division.

Dan Pollreisz, the chief of Mitchell's Fire and EMS Division, said an internship is required to become a paramedic.

"We actually have two of our (staff) who are going to be doing internships starting in February. They have to be done at an advanced life support service, which would be us," Pollreisz said.

The partnership with the community college would serve as another recruiting tool for Mitchell's Fire and EMS Division, Pollreisz said.

"In the past, we've been able to bring people who have interned with us on board," he said.

In addition to the Iowa community college, Mitchell's Fire and EMS Division has similar agreements with Sanford Health and Lake Area Technical College that allow aspiring paramedics to become licensed.

Although Pollreisz said the division is fully staffed as of now, there have been staffing shortages in the past. A fully staffed team equips the division with eight firefighters and EMTs on hand for each shift.

As Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson put it, a fully staffed Fire and EMS Division is "kind of fluid."

If future staffing shortages emerge, the agreement with Northwest Iowa Community College adds another tool to recruit crew members to the team.

The partnership is a one-year agreement with the option to renew on an annual basis.