Hawaii Island Information Update for April 14th, 2021
The Hawaii County Fire Commission has selected and appointed a new Fire Chief for the Hawaii Fire Department (HFD).
Published by: HIRSC - Hawaii Island (Holualoa and Kamuela) Team
info@hiradioscannercommunity.com
The Hawaii County Fire Commission announces in a public vote that was made earlier this afternoon (Wednesday, April 14th) the selection and appointment of the new Fire Chief for the Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) at their regular monthly meeting in Kailua-Kona.
Numerous community members including HIRSC Team Members, Hawaii County Council Member, Media, and HFD members, both current and retired, attended April's Fire Commission meeting at West Hawaii Civic Center to witness the official selection and appointment vote that was to be made publicly.
The candidates for HFD's Fire Chief were William Bergin, Garrett Kim, Daniel Manning, Robert Perreira, and Kazuo Todd.
The Fire Commission publicly voted 5-3 to select/appoint Kazuo Todd as the new Fire Chief for HFD.
The Fire Commissioners were given a one-vote ballot to fill out and later collected. The vote was then read out publicly by Corporation Counsel J Yoshimoto and affirmed by the commissioners in public as follows:
(Majority Voting Rules requires 5 or more to appoint, 5 votes needed are highlighted)
Fire Commissioners and Vote (As read in Open Session):
- Shon Magsalin: Kazuo Todd
- Daniel Paleka: Kazuo Todd
- Gregory Henkel: Robert Perreira
- Wesley Mattos: Kazuo Todd
- Kyle Keamo: Robert Perreira
- Corey Luke: Kazuo Todd
- Gene Nakashima: William Bergin
- Benjamin Agdeppa: Kazuo Todd
Following the confirmation of the votes and motion to appoint Fire Chief Kazuo Todd was voted on, many members of the audience present at the meeting congratulated Chief Todd on his appointment.
Todd, who prior to his appointment as Fire Chief on Wednesday afternoon, served as HFD's Battalion Fire Chief in charge of Auxillary Services (which includes Dispatch/Communications, Maintenance, and Logistics) and also worked in Emergency Operations and the Fire Prevention Bureau prior to becoming a Battalion Fire Chief.
Fire Chief Todd's appointment became effective immediately following the confirmation of the public vote made and later address and answered questions from the Fire Commission for the first time as the new HFD Fire Chief at their regular monthly meeting for April 2021.
Fire Chief Todd will not only oversee HFD's Operations, which include Fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Rescue, Hazardous Materials, Ocean Safety, and Dispatch but also includes 21 Fire Stations, 15 Volunteer Fire Stations, 17 EMS Medic Units, and 12 Ocean Safety Lifeguard Station across Hawaii Island and Annual Operating Budget of $51.92 million dollars (as of FY20-21).
A formal swearing-in ceremony of Fire Chief Kazuo Todd will be announced at a later date.
Kazuo Todd is the third Fire Chief for HFD to be appointed by the Fire Commission since the official adoption of the Fire Commission back in the early 2000s, which prior to the commission was appointed by the Mayor of the County of Hawaii, according to County of Hawaii historical records.