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minutes 04-01-00Page 17 of 22
<br />HOLSCHUH: Thank you very much for being here, Mr. Chair and members. I’m Fred Holschuh. I’m from Honokaa and I’m
<br />a 28-year emergency physician on this island, and I want to make a comment in favor of the Fire Commission based on my
<br />long time experience in the emergency department, and my rather detailed relationship with the workings of the Fire
<br />Department. I’ve also been a 20-year member of the Hawaii County EMS Commission. Actually, and I will get this to you in
<br />writing - I said I’d do that after the last meeting in Waimea, but I’m actually glad I didn’t because I looked at it a little more
<br />detailed since then.
<br />Under 6-4.2, where it says Statement of Policy. As I said in the other meeting, I really feel that we should mention emergency
<br />medical services in here, as a specific item, and I actually want to throw it out as a question. I don’t expect an answer. I don’t
<br />even think I want an answer. Was that left out with the idea that, perhaps, EMS Services would be privatized someday, and
<br />not come under County?
<br />RAY: No, there was no discussion.
<br />HOLSCHUH: That was not? Well, that’s fine. Thank you for clearing that up because that is always a consideration, and
<br />there are two counties in this state that have private EMS services. But even if that were the issue, and even if someday, and
<br />I’m not in favor of this because I think on an island this large, we need our Fire and our Rescue personnel, or EMS personnel,
<br />to work hand-in-hand, and often there’s a great deal, in fact there always is a great deal of cross training with the Fire/EMS
<br />side. But even if it were privatized in some future time, it should still, in my opinion, come under the aegis of the Fire
<br />Commission. So, I really feel strongly that Emergency Medical Services has to be included. That does not equate to
<br />emergency rescue. They’re two different things. That’s under Section 6-4.2.
<br />Then there’s another little thing that, just as more language under 6-4.2, Statement of Policy, the last sentence before the a-b-
<br />c bullets. There’s something that says the Fire Department shall be conducted. I presume somebody means the Fire
<br />Department’s functions shall be conducted, or the function of the Fire Department shall be conducted. Unless I’m missing
<br />something, that doesn’t seem to make sense to me. The Fire Department isn’t going to be conducted. Something that the Fire
<br />Department does is going to be conducted, right?
<br />HERKES: Shall be managed.
<br />HOLSCHUH: Managed is fine, or it’s function shall be conducted, because then you list the statements that are perfectly
<br />valid statements.
<br />The other thing I wanted to mention under new Section 6-4.3, under the Fire Chief. I feel very strongly that a Fire Chief
<br />should have 10 years of experience in this department, or at least in Fire work. I think five years just isn’t enough. That’s
<br />such a heavy duty position, with such a huge amount of responsibility, that I think you have to have a ten-year minimum for -
<br />In fact, I talked to a couple of people the other day that feel it should be 15 years. I’m not so sure I agree with that but I think
<br />10 years is certainly a minimum to be chief.
<br />And the other thing I wanted to mention was that I support the 6-4.5, which is the new Section 6-4.5, I support the Fire
<br />Commission wholeheartedly for a whole host of reasons that I won’t go into, but I’ll put some of it in writing to you. But I
<br />actually think the Fire Commission should be nine members, and very honestly, without getting too detailed, I really think I
<br />like the way the Police Commission is with 7 members from 7 geographical areas.
<br />RAY: It’s nine members now. That’s been changed.
<br />HOLSCHUH: Oh, it’s nine members now? Okay, I took that out of the old Charter. Well, if it’s nine, then I’d like to make
<br />the Fire Commission eleven, and I’ll tell you why. I would just suggest this to you and I mean this seriously. I think the Fire
<br />Commission should have representation from the community per the nine districts, and one member should be a 10-year
<br />experienced emergency physician and one should be a retired Fire person, and they should be separate from the district. And
<br />I mean that real seriously and, again, if you’d asked me to testify on this 28 years ago when I came here, I wouldn’t have had
<br />a clue about any of these issues, but after you’ve worked and lived in this ER all my life, really, my adult life, you realize
<br />how critically important these things interact on day-to-day-to-day public safety issues. Almost everything that the Fire and
<br />Rescue people do day-to-day involves the Emergency Department one way or the other. If it isn’t through orders, it’s through
<br />protocols and so forth.
<br />The only other thing I wanted to mention, and I will get this to you in writing. I don’t have it today. I polled a whole bunch of
<br />Fire Department personnel to see if I was off base on these comments. I just asked them randomly and I wanted to, kind of,
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