SOUTH HAVEN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Dec. 1, 2022) – A benefit for doing a job well by the South Haven Area Emergency Services unit will be enjoyed by those that its staffers serve.
The agency that responds to emergencies in northwest Van Buren County, as well as southwest Allegan County, had the fire protection rating for the area upgraded this week. The Insurance Service Office, through its Public Protection Classification Program, has given SHAES a Class 3/5 mark, up from 4/6 six years ago, and 5/6 in 2004.
This grade helps the insurance industry establish premium rates for residential and commercial customers, and is based on an analysis of data from a fire suppression rating schedule that establishes a public protection classification from 1 being the best to 10.
SHAES, which is in its 26th year of existence, utilizes 16 full-time staffers and 25 paid on-call firefighters from three stations to protect 97 square miles of land, along with several miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Last year, the department responded to nearly 26 hundred fire, emergency and medical calls, with that mark set to be eclipsed in 2022.
