HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT FY 24-25 JUNE
2025 | JUNE FISCAL YEAR 24-25
FIRE CHIEF’S REPORT
HAWAI’I FIRE DEPARTMENT 25 AUPUNI ST., SUITE 2501 HILO, HAWAI’I 96720 FIRE@HAWAIICOUNTY.GOV
Admin Div: Fiscal Branch Report .............................................................................................................. 3
Program Budget Goals ....................................................................................................................... 3
Budget ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Grants ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Admin Div: HR Branch Report .................................................................................................................. 4
Program Budget Goals ....................................................................................................................... 4
Internal Recruitment within Department ..................................................................................... 4
Open-Competitive Recruitment ..................................................................................................... 4
Operations ....................................................................................................................................................... 5
Emergency Operations ........................................................................................................................... 5
Emergency Operations Highlights ..................................................................................................... 6
Battalion 1, East Hawaiʻi ..................................................................................................................... 6
Battalion 2, West Hawaiʻi .................................................................................................................. 6
Special Operations ................................................................................................................................... 7
Aviation .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Support Services ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Emergency Medical Services Branch ................................................................................................. 9
Training Services Branch ...................................................................................................................... 10
Volunteer Training Section ................................................................................................................. 11
Fire Prevention Section ......................................................................................................................... 14
Auxiliary Services Section .................................................................................................................... 15
Emergency Communications ............................................................................................................. 16
Information Technology....................................................................................................................... 16
Safety Specialist Report ............................................................................................................................ 17
Snapshots and Stories ............................................................................................................................... 17
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ADMIN DIV: FISCAL BRANCH REPORT
Program Budget Goals June YTD Goal Invoice Settlement within 30 days 99% 94% 90% Pay-out of CILV’s within 90 days 99% 99% 95% Dollar value of grants applied for $5,372,585 $27,850,085 $5,000,000 Dollar value of grants received $ 0 $ 488,723 $5,000,000
Budget Category Adj Appropriation YTD Expenditures % Used Goal
Fire S&W 40,268,922.00 39,367,299.08 97.76 100.0
6221-6225 OCE 6,315,948.96 6,065,846.21 96.04 100.0
Equipment 3,906,999.61 3,800,660.58 97.28 100.0
Grants & Misc S&W 661,520.09 257,161.00 38.87% 100.0
6226 OCE 1,327,882.56 408,899.64 30.79 100.0
Equipment 697,875.20 406,626.50 58.27 100.0
EMS S&W 15,430,607.00 13,974,408.10 90.56 100.0
6227 OCE 3,006,425.33 2,193,753.31 72.97 100.0
Equipment 3,303,637.02 3,254,903.50 98.52 100.0
Ocean Safety S&W 5,093,856.34 4,276,352.29 83.95 100.0
6228 OCE 358,618.49 313,746.07 87.49 100.0
Equipment 518,905.32 388,328,58 74.84 100.0
Total Budget 80,891,197.92 74,707,984.86 92.36
Grants Update
2023 CDBG (3) Brush Trucks $625,693 furnished by Orchid Isle Ford. Delivery pending.
2024 CDBG
Received (1) 2025 Kawasaki Mule Pro-FXT UTV and trailer for the Pahala Fire Station. Delivery pending on a fire pump skid. Bid for a brush truck for the Puna Volunteer Fire Station awarded to Rebel Strike LLC.
CDBG- MIT Wildfire Mitigation
Bid for three brush trucks awarded to Rebel Strike LLC. A Mobile Service Trailer was awarded to Hawaii Specialty Vehicles. The Mobile Command Vehicle will be awarded in FY 2026..
FY 2023 AFG
Grant awarded establishing a Hazard Zone (IDLH) Incident Command and a Control Training Program to provide safe, effective, and efficient HFD emergency response Operations. Grant is 16.28% spent as of 6/30/25.
FY 23 USDA Vol. Fire Capacity Project The bid was awarded to Orchid Isle Ford for two (2) Brush Trucks $411,097. Delivery pending
FY 24 USDA Vol. Fire Capacity Project Supplies and equipment continue to arrive for the Volunteer Operations section. Pending approval of time extension request.
Kohanaiki Lifeguard Tower (Fair Share funds) I.D.R. Surveyor Apex lifeguard tower furnished by Newport Laminates. Delivered and installed June 2025..
Leleiwi Lifeguard Tower (Fair Share Funds) Surveyor Junior lifeguard tower furnished by Newport Laminates. Delivery expected in early 2026.
2025 | JUNE PAGE 4
ADMIN DIV: HR BRANCH REPORT
Program Budget Goals May YTD GOAL
Process actions within 15 working days 28 297 100%
Recruitment Actions < 30 days 32 118 100% Promotion Actions < 30 days 27 44 100%
Personnel Actions within 30 days, <10% error 53 248 100%
Internal Recruitment within Department
Position Status Report
Battalion Chief (Special Operations) Pending selection. Effective 7/01/25.
Battalion Chief (FASO) Selection made. Effective 6/16/2025.
Fire/EMS Specialist III Three candidates applied; interviews scheduled for 7/23/25.
Fire Captain Twenty-five candidates accepted for interviews; interviews scheduled 6/12/25.
Fire Equipment Operator Eight candidates accepted for interviews; interviews scheduled for 6/20/2025.
Fire/Hazardous Materials Specialist Selection made. Effective 8/1/25.
Fire Prevention Inspector II Selection made. Effective date 05/16/25.
Fire Prevention Inspector I Two applicants were selected for the position. Effective date 8/16/25.
Fire Rescue Specialist Selection made. Effective date 8/1/25.
Water Safety Officer III Position opened. No names referred yet.
Water Safety Officer IV Position opened. No names referred yet.
Water Safety Officer V Interviews scheduled for 7/3/25.
Open-Competitive Recruitment
Position Status Report
Account Clerk The position opened due to backfill.
Fire Fighter Recruit (Temp) Five alternates medical exams were scheduled for the end of May.
Fire/EMS Recruit Recruits were sent official offer letters
Fire Communications Officer I
Thirty-five candidates referred from DHR. Interviews in- process of being scheduled.
Fire Maintenance Worker Five candidates were selected for interviews 07/01 and 07/02
Senior Account Clerk Position opened due to backfill
Water Safety Officer I Twelve candidates selected for interviews; interviews scheduled for 6/3/25 and 6/4/25.
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OPERATIONS
Emergency Operations
Total Calls for Calendar Year 2025 June % YTD %
Fire 88 4% 559 4%
Overpressure, Rupture, Explosion- no fire 0 0% 0 0%
Rescue and EMS 1790 72% 10850 71%
Hazardous Cond. (no fire) 18 1% 96 1%
Service Call 188 8% 1186 8%
Good Intent calls 337 14% 2440 16%
False Alarm / False calls 40 2% 181 1%
Severe Weather 0 0% 0 0%
Special Incident Type 10 0% 35 0%
Other (not completed yet) 4 0% 4 0%
Totals 2475 100% 15347 100%
Response Times CY 2025
Statistic June % that meet.… YTD % that meet...
Avg. Turn out time (Fire) 2:25 (80 sec.) 14.77% 2:20 (80 sec.) 18.17%
Avg. Turn out time
(EMS)
2:52 (60 sec.) 17.42% 2:12 (60 sec.) 18.52%
Statistic June % that meets 6 min. YTD % that meet 6 min
Avg. Response Time
(Fire)
14:27 6.82% 11:10 13.77%
Avg. Response Time
(EMS)
9:34 18.89% 9:02 20.86%
Fire Impacts CY 2025
Call Type June YTD
Wildland calls (140, 141, 142, 143) 22 135
Acres burned 26 271
Structure Fires (110 & 111) 9 38
Property and Contents - Loss $308,600.00 $2,518,150.00
Property and Contents - Save $3,000.00 $3,478,600.00
Other fires (all other 100 series) 57 386
Property and Contents - Loss $805,000.00 $944,950.00
Property and Contents - Save $19,315,200.00 $19,319,700.00
Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (est.)
Total Calls 25,015 27,398 29,594 30,738 31,143 30,702
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Emergency Operations Highlights
Battalion 1, East Hawaiʻi
6/8, Inc# 13546; Rescue: Pohoiki/District 10, Swimmers in distress, WSO’s rescued
father and daughter from the ocean. No injuries or fatalities.
6/12, Inc# 13908; Brush Fire: Kalopa Mauka/District 8, Brush fire, ¼ acre, No
injuries or fatalities.
6/13, Inc# 14044; Structure Fire: Kea Rd/Dist. 5, 1300 sq. ft. two-story, single-
family dwelling fully engulfed, No injuries or fatalities.
6/19, Inc# 14491; Rescue: KPUA/District 4, Male pt with injuries from fall in
river. Pt extricated from river using Chopper 1 and transported to HBMC.
6/19, Inc#14505; Rescue: Piihonua/District 4, male party with injury from jumping
into water. Pt extricated from river using Chopper 1. Pt treated and transported
to HBMC.
6/20, Inc# 14578; Structure Fire: Uau Rd/District 10, 1200 sq. ft. single-story,
single-family dwelling fully engulfed, No injuries or fatalities.
6/21, Inc# 14639; Brush Fire: Kahawai Rd/District 8, ¼ acre, on Hwy 19 @40mm,
roadway briefly shut down, No injuries or fatalities.
Battalion 2, West Hawaiʻi
6/1, Inc# 12972; Structure Fire: Dist. 7 Units responded to an approximate
1500sq ft home. Fire was accidental ignition and confined to garage area with
limited damage to residential living area. No injuries or deaths.
6/8, Inc# 13506; Structure Fire: Dist. 14. Units responded to a 7,100sq ft. Mega-
Single-Story, Single-Family Residence with smoke coming out of the eaves upon
arrival. This was the second call at the residence that night. Fire contained to one
corner of the house. No injuries. $20mil in value saved.
6/17, Inc# 14321; Rescue: Kawaihae harbor. YMCA youth’s sailboat club with 2
sailboats blown on to the rocks. SKI 2 helped pull both vessels safely back to the
boat ramp. No injuries.
6/23, Inc# 14808; Scrapyard Metal Fire: Dist. 7 Units responded to a significant
size fire. Evacuations of multiple business downwind of the fire. Hazmat Co. 21
assisted with air quality monitoring. Cause unknown. No injuries.
Special Events:
6/24, Ho’omau Fire Academy (Kea’au High School) Haihai Fire Station Visit/Tour
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Special Operations
Haz-Mat
4 personnel requesting to attend Hazmat Continuing Challenge, working on
travel and registration processing.
New X-vehicles are just about finished on Oahu and expected to be shipped in
late July.
Ocean Safety
WSO recruitment update:
o WSO V: Awaiting final scores and E&E from DHR
o WSO I: Interviews completed and preparing for new hires following
promotions.
o WSO III and IV: application periods closed, DHR doing MQ review
Kohanaiki tower blessing completed and official start of service June 13.
Rescue
Bid contract for RB7-7 (Radon) repower awarded to Riddle Marine.
Working on processing new equipment purchases with new budget
New Billy Pugh net received for C1.
Incident heat map and YTD stats for June 2025 Link for Station Call Volume Breakdown
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Aviation
Flew a total of 22.6 hours in June. 10.8 hours dedicated to critical wildfire response for the Honokaa and Paauilo brush fires. Provided targeted water drops and aerial support, aiding ground crews in containment and protecting nearby communities. Chopper 2 flew a total of 7.5 hours. 4.8 hours were dedicated to DLNR shark surveys. Honokaa Brush Fire Bucket Drops Notable Responses Rapid response for patient extraction in Waimanu Valley due to convulsions/seizures in a remote location. 911 search and rescue calls in vicinity of Boiling Pots, Eagles Nest, report of a helicopter crash offshore Waipio Valley, and multiple swimmer/boater in distress calls. A multiday DLNR shark survey in the vicinity of Mauna Kea beach. Paauilo Brush Fire Bucket Drops
Training Training at Boiling Pots Lifeguard bailout training FAA Part 135 training with the FAA Pilot long line proficiency training
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SUPPORT SERVICES
Emergency Medical Services Branch Ambulance Inspection and Delivery Emergency Medical Services Branch The ambulance fabrication team went to the Braun Northwest ambulance factory in Chehalis, Washington for a pre-delivery ambulance inspection. These four new ambulances are expected to be on island at the beginning of July and hopefully delivered to the stations by the beginning of August. These units will be assigned to the stations listed below: Station 5 Keaau Station 7 Kailua Station 10 Pahoa Station 18 Hawaiian Paradise Park
EMS Replacement SUVs The two new EMS replacement SUVs have arrived in Honolulu and are currently at Banyan Networks for radio installation. Equipment Symposium The EMS Branch Equipment Committee attended a symposium hosted by Kapiolani Community College, featuring guest lecturer Bob Page. This event provided insightful information on EKGs, capnography, and high-performance ventilation. Paramedic Class Update The current paramedic class completed their fourth rotation and final testing requirements at the end of June. These individuals are currently working on final state and national requirements for licensure from the DCCA.
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AMR Coordination Meeting On June 5th, Fire Administration and the EMS Branch met with AMR management discussing expanding mutual aid opportunities. State EMS Meeting On June 9th, The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health EMS Branch held a meeting with all EMS agencies statewide announcing changes to the MICT standing orders. Directive from the EMS Branch will be coming out shortly. Trauma Center Review On June 18th, EMS Branch personnel participated in a roundtable meeting with representatives from Kona Hospital and the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This review process is mandatory for the hospital to maintain their trauma center status. Shopify Store Data EMS Shopify Store – Supply Orders Data for the Month of June: 76 orders Approximately $38K in gross order sales Community Paramedicine Engagement Our community paramedicine program continues to support community members and high utilizers of the 911 system. For the month of June, EMS Branch personnel had 9 engagements, helping individuals access resources and providing donated durable medical equipment.
Training Services Branch
ARFF Training and Certification The 53rd Recruit class has completed three weeks of Aircraft Rescue Firefighting with a live burn evolution conducted at Ellison Onizuka International Airport. They have successfully completed ARFF ProBoard Certification.
High-Rise Training Completion The 53rd Recruit class completed high rise training over a two-day period. The training included classroom, a review of the Marco Polo fire and high-rise skill stations. Day two was held at Bayshore Towers and included lobby control, emergency elevator
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operations, evacuation/fire attack stair well operations, fire floor operations, FDC connections and a fifteen-story stair climb in full PPE. Final Wildland Evolution at PTA BC Kaaina Keawe, BC Troy Gibson and BC Matthew Ho participated in the 53rd recruit class final wildland evolution at PTA. The evolution incorporated the Calm the Chaos command structure which was implemented in the wildland evolution. The scenario was based on the initial dispatch to a ¼ acre fire, that was wind driven and rapidly spreading in dry grass. Multiple units were available to be dispatched as needed. Trigger points and decision-making opportunities were injected to challenge the IC’s abilities to manage the wildland scenario. Key points were LCES, fire behavior awareness, resource management, incident priorities, communications, and decision-making framework. Engine and Truck Operations Final Evolution Engine and Truck Operations Final evolutions. The 53rd Recruit class conducted their final evolution incorporating truck and engine functions at PTA. The week prior was spent reviewing forcible entry, search and rescue, ladders, hose deployment and movements, RIT, FGS, and firefighter down CPR. Ho‘omau Fire Academy Engagements Ho’omau Fire Academy attended a talk story session at Station 3 with Captain Santiago and the on-duty crew. Captain Santiago answered questions about the fire service and station life. Ho’omau Fire Academy also had a chance to talk with the 53rd recruit class about recruit training. Ho’omau Fire Academy also attended the 53rd recruit class skills review at PTA, with a chance to flow water utilizing both the 1 ¾ and a 2 ½” Handlines
Volunteer Training Section
1-A (Pepeʻekeo) Company 1 Alpha Pepeekeo-Volunteer Company 1A performed 2 community service/outreach events. One being a static display and the other event was at
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Kulaimano Community Center’s Summer Fun Program. The kids at the summer fun program really enjoyed the festivities of running under the water dispersed by Volunteer Engine 1A.
5-B (Hawaiian Acres) Company 5 Bravo Hawaiian Acres-Volunteer Company 5B had a busy month of June. They started the month by doing training, and admin duties which consisted of installing a new water tank cover and vehicle maintenance. They also assisted company 5 and 19 on a structure fire. They also assisted company 10 on another structure fire and put out multiple car fires. 5B is also working with Vibrant Hawaii on helping distribute food for the keiki in the community. 5B’s association also had a blessing of the future community center build site and with that blessing the kahu also blessed the volunteers that were there, our firehouse, and 5B apparatus’.
5-C (Fern Forest) Company 5 Charlie Fern Forest-Volunteer Company 5C attended the apparatus blessings on 6/5/25 for the 2 new brush trucks for the volunteers, Oceanview 20A and Fern Forest 5C. 5C and 19A continue to have joint training with FPTC Eric Moller. 5C had 2 fire calls, one vehicle fire and one structure fire. 5C is also working in conjunction with Co 19A to install the new fire standpipe at Cooper center on the dedicated fire suppression tank. 5-D (Fern Acres) Company 5 Delta Fern Acres-Volunteer Company 5D responded to 3 fire calls and held training in car fires and PPE. Members of 5-Delta also participated in the Kaukau 4 Keiki program that is put on by their Local HUB location and Vibrant Hawaii.
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7-B (Kalaoa) Company 7 Bravo Kalaoa-Volunteer Company 7B was dispatched to 4 calls during the month of June. Their training for June focused on the wildland urban interface. 8-A (Paʻauilo) Company 8 Alpha Pa’auilo-Volunteer Company 8A performed vehicle maintenance and driver training during June. 9-A (Waikiʻi) Company 9 Alpha Waiki’i-Volunteer Company 9A has successfully built another warehouse type garage to house their apparatus. The structure was built through monetary donations, and the labor was donated from Volunteer Captain 9A and company, and other members of the community. 9-B (Kanehoa) Company 9 Bravo Kanehoa-Volunteer Company 9B assisted in a fire at Kalopa Mauka. They also held two trainings practicing hose tactics and strategies in the WUI interface. 9-B also had a station cleanup along with maintenance on the apparatus. 10-D (Ainaloa) Company 10 Delta Ainaloa-Volunteer Company 10D assisted their career counterparts with a vegetation fire at Sand Hill and a pallet fire in Kalapana Seaview, as well as several unauthorized burns. 10-Delta also conducted a wet drill and conducted multiple hours of driver training. 11-A (Nāʻālehu) Company 11 Alpha Na’alehu-Volunteer Company 11A participated in the Na’alehu parade and performed training on hose handling techniques and pump operations. 11-C (Discovery Harbor) Company 11 Charlie Discovery Harbor-Volunteer Company 11C participated in the Na’alehu parade, performed various maintenance on their assigned vehicles and station, completed assignments on Vector Solutions, and held training which focused on pump operations and hose handling. 16-B (Puʻuanahulu) Company 16 Bravo Pu’uanahulu-Volunteer Company 16B had 23 man hours of driver training, vehicle maintenance and repairs on Engine 16B. 19-A (Volcano) Company 19 Alpha Volcano-Volunteer Company 19A performed numerous volunteer hours during June. They conducted vehicle maintenance, station maintenance/improvements, and training on hose handling techniques along with pump operations. 20-A (HOVE) Company 20 Alpha HOVE-Volunteer Company 20A attended their regularly scheduled training with their Volunteer Training Captain and have 2 possible new candidates entering the initial phase of becoming a volunteer.
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Fire Prevention Section
Fire Inspections Our single active Fire Inspector continues to conduct business inspections within Designated Area 1. To improve coverage and efficiency, inspectors will now be permanently assigned to three designated area groupings, evenly split across island-wide districts. When conducting high-hazard inspections, inspectors may notify the local fire station in advance to allow participation by station personnel. Community Outreach, Events & Social Media June 13: T. Goo provided media coverage for the final day of the ARFF Live-Burn Scenario with the recruit class. June 18: T. Goo and J. Requelman participated in multiple Home Assessments in District 16 in collaboration with HWMO. June 18: T. Goo attended a strategic meeting with Chief Okinaka and N5 Sensors regarding wildfire sensor placement and implementation. June 20: T. Goo attended a PTA training exercise with Chief Ho, Keawe, and Gibson, applying Calm The Chaos principles to a live brush fire scenario during the final Fire Academy evolution. June 24: Chief Henderson and T. Goo conducted a site visit with retired Chief Hayashida and KS Properties staff to discuss renovation plans, access improvement, and water development. June 25: R. Henderson served as a guest speaker at the Vibrant Hawai‘i Resilience Academy, addressing fire prevention and safety. June 25: T. Goo supported Chief Springer and the Training Branch during a High-Rise Training involving fire alarm systems, riser and sprinkler identification, Knox box use, and elevator control. June 26: Participated in a Firewise Community Assessment with HWMO and DOFAW in District 7 – Hualalai Colony.
Plan Review / Active Construction
All plan reviews and submitted shop drawings in the EPIC system were completed within
the required 14-day turnaround period.
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Active Construction Projects: G. Ahu Attended plan review meetings for Eb DeSilva and Volcano School of Arts & Sciences Completed final inspection for a Residential Sprinkler System in Honomū E. Kawasaki Conducted Hydro Rough-In inspections for the New Parker Gymnasium and Hale Makoa Fire Investigations/UAS Program June 9: Fire Investigation – District 14, 68-1029 Pauoa
Incident #250013509 Investigators: T. Goo, G. Ahu, and J. Requelman Determined Cause: Electrical fire
UAS Program: No new developments/active use for June.
Internal Recruitment: On June 23, interviews were held for the Fire Prevention Inspector I internal recruitment. Two personnel were selected post interview to fill current vacancies.
Auxiliary Services Section
FASO Promotion There was a new FASO promotion on June 16, 2025. BC Matthew Komata joins the warehouse team – formerly the East Hawaii Volunteer Training Captain. Shopify Sales Summary Shopify orders 116, Customers 94, total sales 161.429.88 Fixed Asset Inventory The Fire Department conducted its annual fixed asset inventory and would like to thank all the individuals who hunted for the items assigned to their stations. With the help of HFD’s IT personnel, the items have been added to our FireWorks RMS program and the hope is that this will make next year’s inventory a lot easier. Facility Work Orders There were 20 work order requests for various repairs and installations for fire facilities in the month with most being addressed within a few days of submission. Please remember to send completed work order requests to the Fire Warehouse email address. Maintenance Shop Report 1. Apparatus and equipment repair Two-Hundred sixty (260) total repairs/service. Sixty-eight (68) service calls or trouble calls.
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Twelve (12) contracted out and tows 2. FEM Supnet attended final inspection at Braun Northwest in Chehalis, Washington for 4 new ambulance units 3. 134 annual DOT Inspections performed island-wide 4. 2025 Toyota Tacomas received (1) Ocean Safety and (1) Auxiliary Services Emergency Communications
NENA 2025 Conference Attendance SFCO Karen Bugado had the opportunity to attend the NENA 2025 Conference in Long Beach, California. Motorola Product Demonstration Chief Domingo and Captain Kaneshiro participated in a demonstration of new Motorola product “Command Central Aware”. Arrival of BC – Emergency Communications Vehicle The BC – Emergency Communications vehicle arrived mid-June. Interdepartmental Meetings Chief Domingo and Captain Kaneshiro participated in meetings with various sections, including EMS, Safety, IT and Fiscal for ongoing issues and concerns. Monthly ECC Call Data Reporting Call data will now be reported monthly, to include the total of number of calls received in the ECC for HFD. Calls will be broken down into 911 calls and admin calls. For the 911 calls, average duration of the call as well as the percentage of calls answered in less than 10 seconds will also be reported.
June HFD Call Data
911 Admin (non emergency) Total
# of calls Avg duration % answered < 10 sec # of calls # of calls
2,448 2:59 88.2% 2,130 4,578
Information Technology
CradlePoint VPN Solution Update The CradlePoint VPN solution has been completed. For vehicles with a Cradlepoint installed the step of having to use software VPN with your County of Hawaiʻi username and password is no longer needed. CradlePoints are also transmitting GPS data directly to the Spillman CAD server instead of from the MDT. This is something that Technical Services has been working on for a long time and is a huge step forward for the department.
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Inventory Working on updating inventory for submission to finance. After final submission to Finance in July, FireWorks inventory will be updated to match submission to finance with any new additions that for FY 24 – 25 that finance did not add. For FY 25 – 26, inventory will be done in Fireworks. We are working on instructions on how to do this. iPads and Cases Setup iPads and cases for each station have been received and we will work on setting them up. Each station will receive 2 iPads for doing inventory and vehicle maintenance checks in FireWorks. IP Configuration Update Fire Warehouse, EMS, new Prevention office (old dispatch), has been changed from static IP assignment to automatic (DHCP). This finally gets this location on the same IP configuration as the rest of County of Hawaiʻi locations. FireWorks NERIS transition work has been started.
SAFETY SPECIALIST REPORT
A summary of Safety’s notable issues for June 2025: The Respiratory Protection Program progressed with west-side HIOSH compressor inspections completed and east-side inspections scheduled for July; Pahala’s compressor is back in service pending air sample results, and the east-side Porta-Count machine resumed fit testing. FireGrid is on hold as IT evaluates FireWorks for PPE tracking. Our stock of Class B foam was fully disposed of by AKW Environmental, with materials shipped to a certified landfill on the mainland. Station #18’s air sampling showed no elevated mold levels, and Station #2 had consistent particle counts post-abatement but elevated humidity, with regular follow-ups scheduled. The COOP exercise for October 7 is in planning, with the new Emergency Communications Center as the primary location. The Active Threat Emergency Response Plan for Admin advanced with HPD providing a walkthrough and security recommendations. Site surveys at Stations #10, #6, and #21 identified some issues with R&M work orders submitted. A survey for ANSI-compliant first-aid kits identified a need for 45 Class A kits throughout all facilities. The Safety Committee met June 18, with minutes on SharePoint. The next meeting will be July 16th. Mahalo for keeping safety first!
SNAPSHOTS AND STORIES
ICS 100 Pilot Class On June 6, the Chief Todd and Barry Perriatt of Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense partnered to host a pilot ICS 100 course at the Office of Aging Conference Room in Hilo. This introductory course—the first in the Incident Command System (ICS) series—welcomed over 20 participants from seven County departments. Following the session, participants completed an online exam to earn their ICS 100 certification. More offerings will be planned to support countywide emergency preparedness.
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Brush Truck Blessing Ceremony On Thursday, June 5, HFD held a blessing ceremony at the County Building in Hilo for two new brush trucks: BT20A, assigned to Ocean View, and BT5C, assigned to Fern Forest. Fire Chaplain Renee Godoy led the blessing, and Fire Captain Grant Baclig shared the names selected for the vehicles—Waioʽahukini for BT 20A and Anulipoa for BT5C.
Mahalo to those who joined us in celebrating this special occasion! Kohanaiki Tower Blessing On June 13, HFD held a blessing ceremony at Kohanaiki Beach Park to mark the start of lifeguard services at the new tower. The ceremony included remarks from Chief Todd and Deputy Managing Director Merrick Nishimoto, with a blessing led by Dr. Holeka Inaba.
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Coffee with the Chief On June 7, Chief Todd hosted a Coffee with the Chief session to discuss the department’s mission and vision statements and engage in an open Q&A with attendees. The mission and vision portion of the event is available for viewing on Youtube. Additional sessions will be held in the future to continue the conversation and provide more opportunities for dialogue. Incident Response Pocket Guide Executive Volunteer Bob Becker was featured on Firehouse Magazine’s website for his article on the Incident Response Pocket Guide—a compact, field-ready tool supporting wildland firefighting. He covers its evolution since 1994, its adoption by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and recent updates, including a shift from hand signals to electronic communication. Read the full article here. ICS 305 Training Five HFD personnel attended an ICS 305 course held June 23–27, at the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus on Oʻahu. Hosted by the Honolulu Incident Management Team, the course featured HFD’s own BC Ho and BC Gibson as instructors, following their recent completion of ICS 449. The remaining three HFD attendees are currently progressing through the Hawaiʻi IMT certification process. Participation in this course strengthens our department’s operational readiness and brings us closer to being able to deliver classes in-house. STAY CONNECTED See what we’re up to on social media! Follow the Hawaiʻi Fire Department for the latest updates, photos, and behind-the-scenes looks at our work in the community. Check out our recent posts!