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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0533.013 2000-2002Aloha ahiahi! MI name is TW & I am here as a concerned private citizen to address Public Safety. Principally, the Fire Department. I'm a retired firefighter with two degrees in fire science, a certified fire instructor, graduate of the Calif. Fire Marshal's Academy & have written dozens of Fire Safety and Emergency Flans for hotels & developments in Calif. & Hawai` i.... RECEIVa THAT SAID I would life to address the fire department's ..... MANNING & RESPONSETIME The fire department IS shorthanded — that's a fact. Firefighting is not "work" or a "job"..... firefighting IS a. PROFESSION. The National Fire Protection Association AICA NFlPA — IS the recognized authority for the fire service. NFPA 1001 states that: To qualify as a firefighter, one must successfully pass 58 separate requirements. NFIPA 1.021: A company officer must qualify for an .additional 30 more... Chief officers must qualify for another 21 and the Chief of the Fire Department in addition to the 109 qualifications mentioned, an additional 4 more. "These are just requirements not mentioning the things they should know as well. Fire Prevention inspectors must have all the shills knowledge of firefighters plus tape responsibility for the safety of the public and the firefighters who may respond to a building they have inspected. A fire insp. must be confident in the knowledge of 11 different codes & ordinances to evaluate & report hazards & recommend corrections. Some of these codes & ordinances include; electric, building gas as well as National, State and local Fire Codes. The fire insp. is also responsible for fire safety in our schools. They must also know fire investigation to determine cause origin in case a crime has been committed. The Fire Prevention Bureau can generate revenue with fees permits,. ■■rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrri NPPA has just released. NEPA 1710 which addresses Manning Ices onse Time as a National Standard. For the first time, the International Association of Eire Chiefs has endorsed "Minimum Manning" in NPPA 1710...... 1710 is also endorsed by the United States Fire Administration as well as the International Fire Marshall's Administration among other experts in the field. To quote NPPA, "This standard gives citizens a true picture of the risk -.s in their community and the fire department's capability to respond: to manage those risks" NFPA's RECOMMENDED RESPONSE TIME: From notification to arrival. at the fire scene of the first fire engine ...... Pour minutes! AND ..... Eight minutes for the remainder of the assignment which should be two more fire engines and an ambulance. As to MANNING ON EVERY FIRE, ENGINE: An officer, a fire equipment operator and AT LEAST two firefighters..... three or four in high hazard areas. These firefighters do NOT -- include the ambulance crew who are actually an adjunct to the fire engine. Residents of Milo get a full response. The rest of the island doesn't. 70% of deaths in fires are in the home, usually during the sleeping hours. Where I live is more than a 4 minute response from the fire station and then we'll only get one fire engine...... probably with only 2 or 3 firefighters. That means ONE GUY will have to do the work of THREE COMPANIES rescuing everyone in the house. I'm not comfortable with that. WHAT CAN WE ISO? Most of us thinly nothing of spending $500 or more on a trip to Honolulu. Or $2000 & more on a trip to California or Vegas. The Hawai' i Insurance Bureau determines fire ins. rates by a formulae that includes proximity to a fire station. Some residents have cut their lire insurance payments by 0% when a fire station was built close to their home. The worst rating is 10. inch of this island has a 10 rating. Eire insurance is NOT deductible and to my knowledge, has never pulled anyone out of a fire. It tabes real firefighters to do that. Property tax IS deductible. We can insure our SAFETY by improving the Fire Dept. This can be done by raising the amount of our property tax and by taking advantage of money generated by Fire Prevention. THANK YOU — any uestions?