Fire Service

[mgeary]

quote:

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Originally posted by Damon

...I'd like to hear mgearys plan for saving houses from Pele []

Fires here are totally different from mainland fires.

Mgeary... did you know we are actually getting a new fire station after years of neglect?...

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Plan for saving houses from Pele: PRAY, MAKE OFFERINGS. That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it.[8D]

Isn't everything different in Hawaii than it is on the mainland? I would hope so. Having said that, the principles of firefighting, whether it's wildland, structural, petroleum, aircraft, whatever, are generally the same wherever you go. Situational awareness, define your objectives (life safety, property protection, protect the environment, etc.), organize your incident and your resources, establish effective command, control, and communications, then get the hell out of the road and let the firefighters use the tactics they've been trained and equipped for. That's what I've done all over the western United States, from San Diego to Glacier National Park in Montana, for several decades. As a battalion chief, a Planning Section chief, and a Safety Officer, that's how I work. I'm a fire manager.

I watched the boys (and girls?) fight a 6,000 acre wildland fire last year over on the Waikoloa side. The tactics are very much different in many ways, I watched them work for awhile. Grassy lava fields do not lend themselves to dozers or even handcrews, and you don't have all the air resources that we do here in Cali.

I'm not familiar with where all the Hawaii County fire stations are, nor the call (volunteer) fire stations, but based on what I've gathered about the general neglect of the Puna district by the local government, I'm not surprised that you've been under-protected. Before I come to that conclusion, though, I really need to be more familiar with the Hawaii County Fire Department. It's not right for me to put stink words to my Hawaiian brothers without knowing the facts.

Aloha! ;-)