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South Haven Area Emergency Services Looks Back Over a Busy 2021

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South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responded to a record number of calls during 2021 according to the department’s Annual Report.

Marking its 25th year, the SHAES Authority serves the city of South Haven and the townships of Casco, Geneva and South Haven from three stations. The department is comprised of 16 fulltime staff and 25 paid-on-call firefighters protecting 97 square miles of land and several miles of Lake Michigan shoreline from three stations.

Responses increased nearly 10 percent to 2,592 compared to the previous record of 2,358 in 2020.

“Our call volume showed a significant increase in all areas,” said executive director Brandon Hinz. “Even with the continued hurdles from the pandemic, our staff remained committed to providing quality service to our residents and visitors.”

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There were 1,804 calls on the medical side compared to 1,730 in 2020. Fire alarms increased from 701 to 788. SHAES has responded to more than 2,000 calls in each of the past nine years.

There were 1,100 calls in the city of South Haven followed by South Haven township 543, Geneva township 443 and Casco township 390. SHAES provided mutual aid to other fire departments and EMS agencies on 116 occasions.

SHAES continued an active inspection program which made nearly 986 contacts, including 528 short-term rental contacts during the year.

There was one civilian fire-related death in 2021. There were two incidents in which a responder was injured either at an emergency scene or other work-related occurence.

Matthew Dey was honored as Firefighter of the Year. The department added five paid-on-call firefighters.

The department sponsored Fire Safety Week with a full schedule of in-person activities in addition to an expanded social media messaging campaign. The department expanded its water safety awareness initiatives in cooperation with the City of South Haven and Bronson Safe Kids Coalition.

Grants from community organizations and businesses made it possible for the department to acquire water rescue gear including an underwater sonar device. The department’s dive team was increased by six new members.

The department received delivery of its new Rescue One vehicle and placed an order for a new ambulance.

There was an increased emphasis on training with members devoting over 3,800 hours to it. Seven members became certified instructors.

A copy of the Annual Report is available at the department’s website – SHAES.org.

Story and photo credit:  Tom Renner