HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0479.002 1996-1998 September 15, 1997
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To: 'hhe Hawaii County Council
From: Michael Moriarty, Firefighter
Subject: Proposed Public Safety Commission(#137, Communication #479)
Honorable Council Persons:
I would love to have come to the County Council meeting to testify
regarding the proposal for a Public Safety Commission, but I have to work
(in Kohala). Please forgive me for not being there. I am writing in
opposition to Bill #137.
Please be aware that any proposal that allows the Mayor to appoint the
Public Safety Commission will amount to rearranging deck chairs on the
Titanic. In order to assure independence of action for the Commission,
appointments must be spread out among various groups (Council, Mayor.
elected etc.) or become elected positions. Since the authority for making
appointments is presently given to the Mayor by our Charter it is
narPCCaI'V to chance the Charter.
The idea of having a Commission to handle both Fire and Police
Departments is not a workable one for units the size of ours. In smali
towns this might work, not here. Inevitably, under these circumstances,
one or the other department will receive less attention than the other.
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Given that the Police have access to funding sources that the Fire
Department doesn't (just look at'their budget compared to ours), we can
expect most of the focus of a combined commission to be on the Police.
What the Fire Department completely lacks, and permanently needs, is an
advocate. In my experience, there can come to bear outside pressures
which proven[ the chief from delivering budget requests which reflect the
real needs required for public safety. Moreover, the department can veer
off on obtuse tangents.
Take fur instance the HAZMAT/ EMS Helicopter issue. The HAZMAT
program was supposed to he finished and in place as of March 6, 1990, by
law (CFR 1910.120). The Fire Department did nothing and instead
embarked upon spending a million dollars on an EMS Helicopter (not
required by law). It took years of active agitation and Union intervention
to get the department to undertake the development of the HAZMAT
program.
How is it that we arrive in the position of having management which fails
to address legal responsibilities, but can find funding for pet projects? The
widening gap between the rapidly evolving environmentaUlegal matrix and
departmental performance can best be illustrated by the following
anecdote...
At one of our more remote Fire Stations, the Fire Fighters needed to
get a document to the Fire Administration quickly. Knowing that the
road crew in [ha[ area had a FAX machine (none of our Fire Stations
have FAX machines) they went over to ask if they could FAX
something the Fire Administration. When the person in the Road crew
office replied that the FAX was busy... fire personne] began by saying,
"Oh, we will, come back later..." But the answer from the road crew
was, "It's U. K., you can use the other one..."
When the road crew in a remote area has an abundance of common office
technology and the Fire Station doesn't, there is a clear issue of a lack of
advocacy. Having the Mayor appoint the principals will not provide a real
advocate for the Fire Department.
I urge you to keep considering configurations for an effective Fire
Commission, but not to enact this present proposal. I request that if you
cannot dispose of this bill today, then it might be deferred until a hearing
to discuss the various Bills, now surfacing, can be held.
R Pect)fu~y,
1/. -
MiCha
1 Mo ' ~
P.O. Box 1102
Kapaau, Hawaii
96755
Phone 80R-889-5809
email- emsquaredCakohala.net