South Haven Area Emergency Services Authority

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When Ron Wise retired as Executive Director (Chief) of South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) in 2020 he didn’t put away his helmet and boots.

Instead, he changed from wearing the traditional white helmet of Chief to the yellow helmet of the paid-on-call responder.

On Saturday (April 26) he was named the SHAES 2025 Firefighter of the Year during the department’s annual banquet. “Ron is one of the most dedicated, hard-working members of SHAES – always willing to help and doing it well,” said Chief Brandon Hinz. “He has a positive attitude and is encouraging to others, notably our younger members.”

A third generation firefighter, Wise joined SHAES in 1989 and served as Executive Director (Chief) from 2008-2020. He was the co-recipient of the Firefighter of the Year recognition in 1992-93.

In “retirement” he led the paid-on-call ranks in emergency responses over the past year. In recent months he has helped the department upgrade the staffing and response times from its Casco station.

“Ron loves this organization and the community we serve,” said Hinz.

The department’s Leadership Award was presented to Training Officer Shawn Smith for the second time in his career. Smith joined the department as a paid-on-call member in 2010 and within six months joined the career ranks. He also received the Leadership Award in 2018. He has served in the newly created Training Officer position since 2023. “Shawn has excelled at setting the bar high for this newly created position, reiterating the importance of proper training,” said Hinz. “He has earned this award through hard work, a vision of what this organization needed and an unwavering commitment to make it happen.”

Three new career members were formally sworn-in – Jessica Trinklein, Mason Pletz and Duke Packer. Joining the paid-on-call ranks is Jacob Florey.

Years-of-Service recognitions were presented as follows: Ron Wise, 35 years; Dustin Guminski and SHAES Board member Nancy Whaley, 25 years; Shawn Smith, Drexal Haner, Phillip Quinn, 15 years; Jon Vandenberg and Zach Kenreich, 10 years; and City Manager/SHAES Board member Kate Hosier, five years.

Welcomed to the new Firefighter Cadet program were Ayden Quinn, Lyla Quinn, Sam Rose, Scott Ritchie, Alyssa Ockerman and Nick Rainey.

Citation Bars were presented as follows: Phillip Quinn, Fire Officer I; Ron Wise, Tech Rescue; Dawn Nyhof, EMT-B; Jessica Trinklein and Kevin Wildey, Paramedic.

SHAES responded to a record number of calls in 2024 and is on pace to set a new response record this year according to Hinz. “Our ability to provide a high level of service and care would not be possible without the dedication of our members and the community’s support. We are grateful.”

Read more SHAES News – http://www.shaes.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=public:2025_review