Laserfiche WebLink
CHAIRMAN SAKATA: Any discussion from any of <br /> the Commissioners? <br /> MR. SCHUTTE : This is a very short section for <br /> the Fire Department. Is there anything that you have in mind <br /> that you may want to relate with your operation other than it <br /> being kept status quo as it is right now in the Charter? We <br /> are very unfamiliar with the operations of it and I think it <br /> would enhance us , considerably, if we had some knowledge of it <br /> so that we could understand it a bit more. <br /> MR. THOMPSON: The Fire Department has the <br /> responsibility of saving life and property. There is a provision <br /> in the Ordinance which provides that we shall also be as an <br /> extended service to conduct life safety which is commonly known <br /> as the Rescue Squad. In this particular action, the Rescue <br /> Squad is a division of people at two stations designated for <br /> such work. One in Hilo and one in Kona. They are structurally <br /> made up so that they are paid differently from the other portions <br /> of the Fire Department. That is because they have a skill level <br /> which is to handle water rescues or mountain rescues for which <br /> we need special skilled people, such as scuba divers for water <br /> rescue. Aside from that, it ' s what you see on the road as far <br /> as the Fire Department is concerned. Structurally, we have <br /> stations throughout the county as far as organization structure. <br /> MR. SCHUTTE: Who implements this portion of it? <br /> Do you do the implementation of that or do you suggest this to <br /> the Mayor and he turns around and gets the necessary funding for <br /> it. It ' s very vague as it stands right here as to the other <br /> various functions of the department. <br /> MR. THOMPSON: The function of the department, <br /> itself, when it comes to budgeting, it is operated from or <br /> developed at the Fire Department and goes through the Mayor for <br /> approval prior to submitting to the Council. <br /> MRS . KOBAYASHI: Mr. Thompson, is there a <br /> committee of lay people like with the Police Commission? Is <br /> there any kind of a board or citizen ' s input? <br /> MR. THOMPSON: No, we are directly under the <br /> Mayor' s instruction. <br /> MRS . KOBAYASHI: You have not even an advisory <br /> board or council , nothing? Would something like this be of any <br /> help to the Fire Department? <br /> MR. THOMPSON: No, we do not have this. <br /> MRS . KOBAYASHI : I mean advisory, because the <br /> Police Department has the Traffic Safety Council which doesn ' t <br /> runthe department but I suppose it helps the Police Department <br /> with traffic regulations or something like that. <br /> MR. THOMPSON: We don ' t have anything like <br /> that. No particular set of people or group of people assigned <br /> -2- <br />