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• <br />ti <br />this proposal. I've been involved as an Emergency doctor for 28 years now, on this <br />island, working with many Fire Chiefs and paramedics and fire people constantly. And <br />it's a great group of people, and it's a wonderful organization we have here on this <br />island. I can't say enough about them, and quite frankly, I never, ever want to see EMS <br />separated from the Fire Department in Hawaii County. I think it's just a wonderful <br />marriage. However, I've often felt, going back to the late '70s, all the years I've been <br />on the EMS Commission which 1 have been on continuously since the '70s, the Fire <br />Chief should actually be appointed by a Commission. The political nature of this <br />appointment, and this in no way is meant to be disrespectful to any previous or current <br />Fire Chief. Many of them have been good personal friends of mine. It just doesn't <br />make any sense to have this be a political appointment in my estimation. I think this is <br />a great idea to do it this way. I had two comments, if I may. I don't want to say any <br />more about it. I like what you've done. The underlined things are additions, I presume, <br />this language is additions. I was just wondering whether, instead of saying fire <br />protection and prevention and emergency rescue in Section 6-4.2, it would say <br />emergency medical services. Did you give any consideration to that because rescue <br />implies rescue? Our County fire rescue specialists, or MICTs and EMTs, do a lot more <br />than actual rescue work. I mean, they do the gamut of healthcare. <br />IRVINE: What section is that under? <br />HOLSCHUH: 6-42 Statement of Policy, third line. I'm sorry. Yes. <br />IRVINE: Okay, down at the very bottom of our page, 6-4.3. <br />HOLSCHUH: It's the Statement of Policy, `purpose of this chapter is to <br />establish', and so on. Basically, unless somebody in the Fire Department feels that it <br />ought to say - <br />RAY: This is lifted out of City and County. <br />HOLSCHUH: Really? Well, they're different. They're different because - <br />RAY: Okay, maybe you can submit that language change to us. <br />HOLSCHUH: Okay, if that would be okay, I'll send it in. Unless the Fire <br />Department has an objection, it just seems to make more sense. <br />RAY: No, no. We just lifted this totally out of City and County. <br />HIGASHI: Fred, what was that change you proposed again? <br />HOLSCHUH: Where it says, on what is in my document, the second line, 'fire <br />protection and prevention and emergency rescue' 1 would change to emergency <br />medical services, which is EMS. <br />19 <br />