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Merit Board of Appeals <br />October 15, 2014 <br />Hawai'i Government Road, which fronts the ocean—it's been well published <br />that we had to seek approval from landowners, as we try to create a bypass <br />road and cut through there. Are we resourced for this additional workload? <br />We're not rushing to add new bodies. We're trying to manage it with <br />people we have in place. Corporation Counsel will be calling landowners <br />and chasing them down and getting agreements in place. Public Works is <br />busy doing what they need to do. We have looked at increasing our <br />resources in staffing with the Fire Department. It hasn't happened, yet, but <br />in anticipation of Pahoa Village being isolated—we are establishing a fire <br />station—the old fire station right in Pahoa. So, they're retrofitting it, then <br />staffing becomes the next concern. <br />We've consulted with the unions, and they would like to see fire captains <br />and equipment operators opened up as promotional opportunities—even <br />though it would be temporary. As far as firemen, we have a recruit class but <br />they're not going to be ready any time soon. So, we're looking at offering <br />overtime to man that station—likewise, for Emergency Medical Services <br />(EMS). <br />Every department has come out with their own contingency plan based on <br />the scenario, and if they need help, we'll do what we can. Some are easier <br />to replace than others—like the firemen—there's not a lot of qualified <br />people that we can place. <br />If the transfer station in Pahoa goes down, we're going to create another <br />transfer station. The theory being that the employees who are dislocated <br />from that facility would then go to staff the new temporary transfer <br />station—with extended hours, possibly, at the Kalapana Transfer Station to <br />accommodate the isolated Pahoa community. <br />Chair Kuewa commented that it sounds like Ms. Toriano and her department has <br />been keeping in touch with the different departments for contingency planning, <br />which is great. <br />Manning of the "Call Center": Our role in disaster includes manning what <br />we call the "Call Center"—when a command center is formed, they call <br />upon the Health and Safety Division Chief, Charmaine Kamaka, who then <br />finds and provides 24-hour coverage at the call center. Any incoming calls <br />to the Civil Defense Agency filtering through this call center. Because of our <br />role and knowing that the lava has been slow moving, we've had a presence <br />at the Pahoa Community Center, which is open from 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 <br />p.m. <br />Page 6 <br />