Bobby Perreira, the new interim fire chief of the Hawaii County Fire Department (HCFD), says the department has come far from horse-drawn apparatuses to the present-day form, which is considered the best in the nation.
"Organized fire protection in Hawaii County began in 1888 with the formation of volunteer companies using horse-drawn apparatus," Perreira told Big Island Times. "The first station was on Kekaulike Street in Hilo. Jack Wilson was the first volunteer fire chief, and a steamer and hose wagon were housed in the new station. Wood was used to fire the boiler, which produced steam to run the fire pump."
Over the following 20 years, the department grew.
"By 1910, the Hilo Volunteer Fire Department had 60 members and responded to 11 fire calls that year. Additional equipment in service included a chemical wagon mounted on a car, and a second car was used to tow the steam engine. In 1919, the first motorized apparatus, a 750-gpm [gallon per minute] Seagrave engine, was placed in service," Perreira said.
It took an additional 14 years before firefighters were hired and paid.
"The first career firefighters were hired in 1924 and included the first paid chief, an assistant chief, drivers and hosemen -- seven personnel total. The career service was supplemented by volunteers, which continue in service today," Perreira said. "In 1927, the second motorized apparatus was purchased, a 1,000-gpm [gallon per minute] Seagrave. Four years later, 12 more personnel were hired; in 1937, a third engine was placed in service. Emergency medical service was added to the department in 1972 with two firefighters trained as EMTs."
Today's HCFD, headquartered in Hilo, has 365 uniformed personnel and 125 volunteers under Perreira's command.
"Hawaii County is the only fire department in the Hawaiian islands with volunteer firefighters," said Perreira. "HCFD provides fire suppression, EMS, land and sea rescues, vehicle or other extrications, hazardous materials mitigation and fire prevention activities for all Big Island residents and visitors. Hawaii County is divided into east and west operational areas. HCFD has 20 full-time fire stations and 18 volunteer fire stations."
The HCFD has a great deal of emergency vehicles and materials in present day to respond when needed.
"The department operates more than 60 apparatus and support vehicles, including 20 engines, two ladder trucks, two rescue companies, 16 advanced life support (ALS) medic units [and] two hazardous materials response units," Perreira said. "HCFD has two helicopters; Chopper 1: Rescue Chopper, [is] quartered at the Waiakea Fire Station, and Chopper 2: Medevac Chopper, [is] quartered at the South Kohala Fire Station. Because there is no truck company, engine companies are assigned to truck operations as needed. The volunteer companies have additional apparatus for a variety of emergencies."
When asked about the best part of his job, Perreira said, "I have the privilege to lead this great department of 400-plus members as we serve the residents and visitors of Hawaii Island. The most challenging part of my job is the budgetary constraints that we face as a department and as a county. These budgetary constraints could ultimately affect our operational effectiveness and service to our community."
The pandemic has had an impact on HCFD.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down businesses, decreased revenues and has forced us all to change the way we do things," said Perreira. "As a department, we are adapting to these challenges, we are moving forward to continue to provide exceptional emergency services to our community even through these budgetary constraints."
HCFD, in the past two years, has lost three active members in their department.
"These three losses have hit our department/family very hard and our department has been working through the grieving process," said Perreira. "Our fire family has responded by coming together and supporting each other and their families. The COVID pandemic has added an extra layer of challenges in establishing closure as we have been working to schedule a virtual pass and review that will honor our fallen brothers and allow closure for our fire family."
HCFD has a reputation as one of the best in the nation, and Perreira said it is based on their ability to combine emergency services and also constantly bettering themselves and their response and system.
"The Hawaii Fire Department has a reputation for being a leader in emergency medical services. We have a unique opportunity to blend resources as we respond to calls as a fire/EMS-based system," Perreira said. "This means that all our personnel are cross-trained in fire training and EMS training. We are constantly pushing the limits in bettering ourselves and our system. We maintain humility in learning from other systems and we always strive to be better."