Meile Named Responder of the Month

This month's Responder of the Month is Chris Meile — a man who jokingly refers to himself as the “Chief Bottle Washer,” but who in reality serves Grant County as the Assistant Director of EMS and a full-time paramedic on standard shift rotation.

Meile was named Responder of the Week in March.

A native of Ulysses, Chris’s career has quite literally taken him around the world before bringing him full circle back home.

Chris first began his EMS journey in 1994 as a volunteer with Grant County EMS. From those humble beginnings as an EMT Basic, he steadily advanced through the ranks. His career took him to Topeka, where he worked in a fast-paced 911 system and earned his paramedic certification. He later served as a patient care tech in a hospital setting before stepping into more specialized roles — including remote offshore paramedic work and eventually becoming a flight paramedic.

In 2012, Chris began working in air medical transport, first based in northern Arizona on the Navajo Nation. There, he provided critical care transports to major cities such as Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Albuquerque. Over time, his work expanded internationally. By 2021, he had been transferred to Bermuda and later to Phoenix, flying patients across the United States and even internationally — including flights as far as South Korea.

“That comes with maintaining several levels of certification,” Chris explained, noting he maintains national registry paramedic credentials in addition to state certifications, along with international medical certifications required for overseas flights.

He has transported patients who walked onto aircraft needing medical escort and others who required ventilator support for four- to six-hour critical care flights. One of his longest missions involved transporting a U.S. citizen from South Korea back to the United States after the patient had suffered a heart attack and spent months navigating a foreign medical system.

“I’ve kind of seen everything,” Chris said.

Yet despite a career that spans decades and continents, Chris returned home in 2024 to help his mother following medical challenges. What was meant to be temporary slowly turned into something more permanent.

“I wasn’t planning on going back to work on an ambulance,” he admitted. “But things kind of roped me into it.”

And so the hometown paramedic came full circle.

Today, Chris serves as Assistant Director of Grant County EMS, working full time wherever the service needs him while also balancing family life and helping with farm responsibilities when needed. He has also spent time instructing EMS courses throughout his career and continues to assist locally when needed.

When asked about challenges facing EMS today, Chris pointed to a regional and national struggle between healthcare demands and staffing shortages. However, he emphasized that Grant County is fortunate, going further on to say that “Being a First Responder is not a one man show. We are a team, and in many ways a family.”

“We are still a 24/7 manned service offered by the county,” he said.

“That’s something we hope continues to receive the community support it has had for years.”

He noted that while maintaining a full-time service is a benefit, the department has occasionally struggled to staff a third-out crew due to an increase in transfers — but continues to make it work.

We also asked Chris what people may not fully understand about being a first responder.

“When you’re a First Responder, you see things people typically don’t see,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re walking into. And when people ask what’s the worst thing you’ve seen, it’s like reliving a dream no one wants to relive. But it’s our passion and our calling.”

Outside of work, Chris enjoys fishing and camping, spending time at the local gun range, working on vehicles, antique shopping, and trying new foods — proudly calling himself a bit of a foodie.

After 32 years in emergency medical service — from volunteer EMT in Grant County to international flight paramedic — Chris Meile continues to serve the same community where his career first began.

He also noted that his story couldn’t conclude without expressing his sincere gratitude for all of those amazing individuals he has worked with in the past and present in his tenure that helped him in the pursuit of his calling as a First Responder.

For Grant County, that full circle is something worth celebrating.

Each emergency responder who is selected as Responder of the Week is in the running for Responder of the Month every month, and each Responder of the Month is then eligible for Responder of the Year. Winners are picked randomly from all the current nominees via a digital application to be Responder of the Month.

Responders may be nominated more than once.

If you would like to nominate someone for this honor, please submit your nomination to news2@ulyssesnews.com.

Nominees can be law enforcement officers, 911 dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, military personnel, public health professionals and utility line workers.

If you would like to be a part of this program, contact the Ulysses News.