South Haven Area Emergency Services is asking the municipalities it serves to prepare for increased contributions as it seeks to hire more staff to address increasing call volumes.
SHAES Director Brandon Hinz addressed the South Haven City Council this week, saying staffing levels haven’t kept pace with the higher number of ambulance runs the agency has to make. He said SHAES is looking to gradually add members, aiming for three in 2026.
Hinz shared with the city council some numbers suggesting an 18% increase in the city’s support for SHAES will be needed next year and 20% the following year. He was asked how sure he is that those numbers will hold.
“Our call volume has increased 170 calls already to date this year over last year,” Hinz said. “Once we get further on into that presentation, it’s a little bit harder to gauge. I don’t know why our call volume is increasing, so I don’t know if it’s going to keep. A lot of those numbers are based upon call volume increases.”
Hinz did say he thinks a higher number of Baby Boomers needing medical assistance has added to the SHAES workload.
City Manager Kate Hosier told council she’s looking for ways to meet the needs of the agency.
“In five years, what we pay to SHAES will increase 66%,” Hosier said. “We currently pay to SHAES $1.1 million. By 2030, we would be paying nearly $2 million, and that would be coming out of the general fund. That’s not sustainable.”
2024 was a record year for SHAES as it responded to 2,699 calls, about 20 more than in the previous year. Hinz has told us about 60 to 70% of those were for emergency medical services. The agency also responds to fire calls.
SHAES was formed in 1996 to serve the city of South Haven and Casco, South Haven, and Geneva townships. Each contribute to its budget each year.
