May 6, 2021
South Haven Area Emergency Services says its Firefighter of the Year is Matt Dey. SHAES held its annual dinner this past Saturday, where it gave the honor to him. The agency says Dey has been with it since 2018 after serving the Buchanan Fire Department. During the 2020 summer season, he was a key responder during water-rescues on three separate occasions. In June, after receiving a report of kayakers being blown out into Lake Michigan, he commandeered a jet ski and was able to reach them until the SHAES boat arrived. Later in the summer, he helped kayakers who became swamped in the Black River, and still later, he witnessed two people being washed off the South Pier and reached an unconscious man to bring him to shore so he could be revived. SHAES says “Dey exemplifies through his actions the selfless commitment to community by SHAES responders.”