2021-01-07 Windward Exh A (Public Testimony USE 20-000084)

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ROMERO: I'm stressed. I'm under direst, cause you guys, I'm still dealing with the tower you guys are trying to put in front my house. AU: Okay, well I just want to thank you for coming and testify you know and I also want to extend another thank you and thank you for your services to the United States of America and I really do appreciate you and just want to thank you for being here. ROMERO: Thank you, no appreciate it. REPLOGLE: Is there anyone else? Okay, Mr. Romero thank you and I concur with Mr. Au. Thank you for your service and for testifying. Next, we have Kazuo Todd of the Hawaii Fire Department. TODD: Okay, sorry. My name is Battalion Chief Kazuo Todd. I am from the Hawaii Fire Department and I am here to testify in favor of the cell tower. I can't speak to any health issues or stuffs that might affect the environment or anything like that. The reason why I am testifying is particularly because the area is Puna and we have lost some of our communication capabilities in the area so being able to bring back some of that ability to communicate with the cell tower systems or additional radio capabilities down the road is particularly important to the Fire Department. So, the Fire Department, Police Department and our EMS response rely on the ability to communicate through either radio towers and our radio system or through data that is being sent through these cell towers. More and more we are switching to a lot of data applications. In my warehouse which I run for the Fire Department I just received the latest batch of fifty-three (53) mobile data terminals and these mobile data terminals are actually going to end up inside of our engines and tankers and brush trucks and ambulances. What they do is they connect us back to the 911 dispatch system and through that cell system we are able to get information on the person we are responding to, their medical issues, or what's going on with the fire or if there are weapons on scene or things like that. That data is very critical for us to do a better job for the public. So, I'm assuring with any decision that your Committee has to make or Commission has to make there's positives and negatives right. The impacts as well as the benefits. The benefits in this particular case help us to provide a better service to the public in terms of saving lives and making a difference in the quality of life of the people in the area. Puna is especially needed as you know even the Fire Department lost one of our radio towers and enclosures and equipment down in the lava. It got covered over and was down by PGV. So, any additional capability in the area is useful for us to be able to get that critical life-saving information to our first responders and to be able to get information back to our dispatch and let them know what is going on scene and what kind of additional resources we may or may not need. So, for that reason the Fire Department is for expanding our capabilities to be able to communicate that critical information. That is all I have to say. Thank you very much for your time. 9 EXHIBIT A