The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are considering merging again in the face of rising call volumes and manpower shortages that have put a strain on EMS. A resolution to establish a task force to investigate and develop a plan for the possible consolidation was approved by the Honolulu City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. According to Hawaii News Now, this is just another chapter in a story that started back in 2011 and has yet to see any change.
Val Okimoto, a member of the City Council, presented the resolution, which attempts to address the exhaustion and shortages that paramedics and emergency medical technicians are experiencing. Okimoto said to Hawaii News Now, “I’m looking for some sort of solution.” With only 250 employees, EMS staff have had to handle almost 100,000 calls this year alone. Because of understaffing, the situation has resulted in the temporary shutdown of EMS units.
On the other hand, the HFD has over a thousand firefighters who respond to over 60,000 calls a year, most of which are medical. By distributing resources, a combined organization would allow teams from both agencies to react as a single unit. According to information gathered by Hawaii News Now, ambulance rigs might be housed in the more than 40 fire stations located throughout the island.
There are many sources of support for the task force. “We would like to stand in support of anything that’s going to improve the services of EMS statewide on Oahu,” Honolulu EMS Assistant Chief Korey Chock stated at the committee meeting. However, there are still worries about how the combination may affect business operations. According to information provided by Hawaii News Now, HFD Chief Kalani Hao stated his expectation that the task group would address important topics like labor, personnel, and budget.
The resolution has moved forward in spite of these cautious voices, and the whole Council will now hear it. Based on observations from Hawaii Public Radio, the task group, if formed, would have representatives from various local government departments, such as the fire department, Emergency Services, and government employee unions. The discussion surrounding this possible merger comes just after the maritime safety division separated from emergency services to form a separate department, drastically altering the first responder structure in Honolulu.
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