2025-10-23 Fire Commission Minutes

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Hawai'i Fire Commission Regular Session Minutes October 23, 2025 Page 3 • Significant Incidents: o There were 36 wildland calls. The Ka'ala fire (550 acres) is still active and will be included in the report when complete. o There were 10 structure fires (59 year-to-date). The Wild Ginger Inn in Hilo burned down on October 23rd (a total loss) and will significantly impact next month's property loss figures. • Special Operations: OCE and equipment appropriations were listed, but spending data is unavailable. Aircraft operational uptime was 86%. There were 288 hours of rescue training; no hazmat or Air Ops training occurred in the month. • Ocean Safety Branch: S&W is 26% expended (goal 29%) due to vacancies. For September, there were 272,808 beach visitors, 281 preventable actions, 211 minor medical aids, 7 major medical aids (transports), and 51 rescues. The rescue watercraft operations program is proceeding, and a solicitation memo has been sent. • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Branch: S&W is 23.91% expended (goal 29%). The ROSC rate for September was 4% (6.9% year-to-date). There were 937 ALS and 420 BLS transports. o In response to Commissioner Cushnie, Deputy Chief Volpe clarified the paramedic vacancy rate. The report's four vacancies reflect temporary re- assignments. While five recent graduates are filling spots, the permanent vacancy rate on paper is nine. The net gap in staffing remains the same until permanent assignments are made. o Chief Todd reported on discussions with Hawai'i Life Flight regarding a legislative push for rural healthcare funding ($50 million/year per state). A state-level suggestion is to use this to establish compliant helicopter landing pads at all island hospitals. He noted current issues, such as non- working lights at Hilo Hospital's pad, still require ambulance transport from the pad to the ER. Upgrading pads on all islands could allow for direct-to- Honolulu transports from rural locations (e.g., Ka'u to Queen's). o The branch participated in health fairs, an Alzheimer's walk, and a triennial exercise. Two replacement EMS SUVs are expected. The EMS store processed 56 orders totaling approximately $48,000 in gross product. Chief Todd noted this equates to approximately $50,000 per month, or $600,000 annually, in EMS supplies. • Training Service Branch: S&W is 13% expended, partially due to grant-funded money that will be re-allocated later. The 54th recruit class is in progress. Driver training is expected in spring 2026, and incident command training is planned for spring.