2022-08-25 Fire Commission Minutes

Home

Hawaii Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes August 25, 2022 Page 6 looked filthy and dilapidated to the public. He understands that it's a historical landmark and it can't be torn down. He stated the whole purpose of the letter to the editor was "can't we make it more pleasing to the eye of the public since it's the main station in Hilo?" Deputy Moller stated he did not read the article, but fully agrees. He stated it's not only filthy and bad looking, he doesn't think it's sound. One of his biggest priorities when he first started his position last July was to get personnel out of central. A structural engineer conducted an evaluation and said it's not going to fall down imminently, but without repairs, it'll become a problem to get it fixed and be able to utilize it in the future. DPW stated they don't have the funding to spend on the project right now. Deputy Moller stated that Waiakea and other stations are also bad, but in his opinion, 11 is the worst. In Pahala, the metal inside is rusted through, and parts of the roof are falling off. In his opinion, the living conditions of HFD firefighters are horrid and unacceptable. He understands the money constraints, but there is a lot of fixing that needs to take place. Chair Kosaki stated that he understands that the Sayre Foundation was expressing interest in donating more money towards the rescue watercraft program to expand it. From his experience, when he was overseeing ocean safety, they started the program with just one jet ski in Hilo, one in Puna, and one backup for each. The vision was to eventually expand it to more places such as Kahalu'u and Punalu'u. He asked Deputy Moller his feelings on this because he heard there was some resistance to the program expanding. Deputy Moller stated that there hasn't been resistance. HFD is expecting to get the funding for two additional jet skis. Chair Kosaki asked his opinion on expanding the program to more sites throughout the island. Deputy Moller stated that in his opinion, it's great, the service is needed out there. Just like the community risk assessment, they need to determine which beaches they're going to support and look at how they'll support them effectively. Chair Kosaki stated that jet skis have been proven to be the safest and quickest way to respond to someone that's in trouble and it's much safer for the lifeguards. He stated that there's so much shoreline on this island that's inaccessible. With the deployment of the jet ski, if someone is in trouble in Waipio the ski will be able to deploy right there and get them to safety. If there is some resistance, he asked Deputy Moller to try to get personnel below him to get them on board and expand the program. Commissioner Henkel asked if personnel in the maintenance department are able to work on the skis. Deputy Moller stated that their mechanics are qualified. Deputy Moller stated there isn't resistance regarding expanding the program. This could be a misunderstanding because they're looking for 4-wheelers first. A chief is trying to replace the 4-wheelers on the beach because he feels it's a priority over additional jet skis, but under no circumstances are they against additional jet skis.