Ed Michels, East Hampton Town’s senior harbormaster, will shift to part-time service in 2022.
Earlier this month, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, along with Chief Michael Sarlo of the Police Department and the town’s Department Heads Association, honored Mr. Michels with a proclamation recognizing his service and contributions to the town.
A former master chief in the Coast Guard who served at the Coast Guard station in Montauk, Mr. Michels was hired as a harbormaster in 1993. He became a senior harbormaster in 2000 and was promoted to department head in 2002.
As a cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator certified Heartsaver AED program coordinator, he has provided communitywide training in CPR and defibrillator use, ensuring availability of the devices at public buildings, providing an essential service for those experiencing medical emergencies, according to the proclamation.
As a training officer since 1998, he developed the curriculum and established and manages the standardized marine patrol vessel operator course, which provides comprehensive training for marine personnel.
His “commitment to effective public safety and emergency response led him to establish the East End Law Enforcement Task Force,” according to the proclamation, “comprising both state and federal agencies and those of the five East End towns and allowing coordinated enforcement, training, and response to serious incidents.”
The senior harbormaster gained the trust and respect of his colleagues and the Montauk fishing community and continues to work with them for the public good, the proclamation states. He has “significantly elevated public safety and the ability to respond to emergencies, and with his competencies, dedication, and helpful attitude, has become the ‘go-to guy’ for problem-solving of all sorts.”
The proclamation notes that Mr. Michels’s definition of part-time is to be determined, “given his work ethic and consistent tendency to go above and beyond his prescribed duties.”
