03/28/2026
Fire departments across the country are faced with a growing personnel crisis, especially those who rely on volunteer community members for meeting staffing needs.
South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) Executive Director Brandon Hinz decided to do something about it.
Three years ago Hinz established the SHAES Cadet program for local high school students. While pursuing State of Michigan firefighter certification through an Academy or a School District course, the Cadets experience the profession first-hand by attending SHAES drills with current staff, responding to real-life emergencies and just hanging around the fire hall.
"Neighboring fire departments experienced great success with their FF Cadet programs, so I utilized their guidance in developing our own." Columbia Twp, Graafschap and North Berrien Fire Departments all shared policies and protocol to help develop a program that suited SHAES.
Cadets are equipped with turnout gear and pagers. Their role at emergencies is to observe, not to fire-fight. A staff member serves as an on-scene mentor. The program has grown to currently have six cadets.
Michigan firefighters must be 18 years old to officially be certified as a Firefighter. This week marked a first. South Haven’s first cadet became an officially certified paid-on-call firefighter.
Hinz’s dream came to fruition at 12:01 a.m. Thursday when Ayden Quinn transitioned from cadet to firefighter.
This is a great story that goes beyond the Cadet program. Ayden becomes a third generation SHAES firefighter, joining his father, Tim, and grandfather, Don. Tim is an active Lieutenant in the department while Don retired from the department with 50 years of service, first with the Covert Fire Department, then South Haven Fire Department and the last 25 years with SHAES. His grandmother, the late Pat Quinn, served on the Covert and SHAES departments.
A senior at South Haven High School, Ayden over the years, before the Cadet program even started, would frequently be seen at a fire scene or at the station with his dad.
“This milestone moment is so rewarding,” said Chief Hinz. “I am grateful to our friends at the Van Buren ISD, the Van Buren and Berrien training councils, the families of our cadets and to our current SHAES staff for their support. Fire protection has been a South Haven community priority since the department’s founding in 1888. Programs like this will assure its continued service long into the future.”
