COM 0184.015 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Stephen K. Yamashiro Mayor March 6, 1997 Kbaunfv 0f �'Rttfvnii FIRE DEPARTMENT '37 M,941 7 Vl] 3 3'5 COL; COUNTY(Ji- 777 Jr 777 Kilauea Avenue • Mall Lane, Room 6 • Hilo, Hawaii 967204239 (808) %1-8297 • Fax (808) %1-8296 Honorable Aaron S. Y. Chung, Chair Committee on Finance County Council County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Councilman Chung: Re: 1997-98 Budget and Program Review Questionnaire Nelson M. Tsuji Fire Chief Edward Bumatay Deputy Fire Chief The Hawaii County Fire Department's primary goal for Fiscal Year 1997-98 remains the same - to provide the highest level of service above and beyond what people expect in life preservation, incident stabilization and property conservation. To accomplish this ever- increasing demand for services, each division was presented this program and budget review questionnaire. Realizing the State and County's tight financial dilemma, the major divisions within the Hawaii County Fire Department have identified several areas of concern which, if addressed, will increase the efficiency of our overall performance. Although no additional positions were included in the Fire Department's budget, of major concern is personnel shortage within our Fire Dispatch. Three new supervisory personnel are requested by the division's Battalion Chief. I strongly believe this request must be considered. Please refer to the memo from Battalion Chief Steven Iwamoto, FASO. Another area of concern is the decrease in State funding for our Aeromedical Program. Initially, funding was for 24-hour operation; however, because of more urgent needs, funding was reduced to 12 hours of usage. The saving of lives through rapid medical intervention and transportation surely outweighs the minimal aeromedical helicopter usage.