The county commission named a new EMS director Monday night.

The county's Emergency Services Committee met on Nov. 10 to interview five applicants for the position, voting to recommend Hoyte Hale, who has served as interim director for two and a half years, for the position.

The commissioners agreed, voting to give Hale, who served as assistant EMS director for seven years before being tapped to fill the position temporarily after the departure of former director Chip Cook, the job.

The other four candidates were Jeremy Young of Smithville; Charles Nokes of Smithville; Allen Mason of Lancaster; and Jeff Cole of Spencer. The committee interviewed each applicant individually, and the same set of questions was asked of all five men. They were scored numerically from zero through five based on their responses to each question.

Hale scored highest among the five.