RES 049 Draft 01 2016-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

COUNTY OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. STATE OF HAWAII 49 17 A RESOLUTION URGING THE HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO EMPLOY LIFEGUARDS AND TO PURCHASE A LIFEGUARD TOWER AND RESCUE EQUIPMENT FOR KUA BAY AT KEKAHA KAI STATE PARK. WHEREAS, Kua Bay at Kekaha Kai State Park (Kua Bay) in North Kona, is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and currently does not provide lifeguard protection for its users; and WHEREAS, lifeguards act as primary responders for onshore emergencies and provide injury control and dispatch ocean rescue services to address dangerous incidents in near shore waters, where the majority of ocean recreation activity takes place; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Department of Health, Injury Prevention and Control Division and the Hawaii Fire Department, Ocean Safety Division, have reported that from 2008 through 2016, there were three fatal drownings, three near drownings, 10 spinal cord injuries, one cardiac arrest, one shark siting, various other serious and minor injuries, and numerous distressed swimmers at Kua Bay; and WHEREAS, skilled -lifeguards, appropriate rescue equipment, and a lifeguard tower for adequate field of sight are essential to save lives and prevent injuries at the heavily -visited Kua Bay; and WHEREAS, West Hawaii residents have voiced strong concerns regarding the alarming number of reported and unreported incidents which have occurred at Kua Bay; and WHEREAS, operational costs as estimated by the Hawaii Fire Department, Ocean Safety Division, to employ four lifeguards (water safety officers) for one year at Kua Bay would be $321,696 (salary and benefits of $80,424 per lifeguard, to staff a two person lifeguard tower, seven days per week); and WHEREAS, the start-up costs for equipment as estimated by the Hawaii Fire Department, Ocean Safety Division, for Kua Bay for the first year would total $80,000: $60,000 for a lifeguard tower (one-time start-up cost); $8,000 for an all -terrain vehicle (start-up cost, to be replaced every four years thereafter); $8,000 for radios (start-up cost, to be replaced every four years subsequently); $3,000 for rescue equipment (bi-annually); $1,000 for personal protective equipment (annually); and WHEREAS, the total for operational costs, together with start-up costs of equipment for the first year would be $401,696, with an annual budgeted amount of $325,696 for three years thereafter; now, therefore,