There are so many times that we hear the phrase, “Lucky we live Hawaii”. There are so many things to be grateful for. There is the extraordinary physical beauty, the fantastic weather, the beautiful ocean, and most of all, the welcoming, kind and compassionate people.
Then there are the things that might not be as apparent, but are still extremely important. We are blessed to have a fantastic Fire Department which includes a critical volunteer component. The Big Island has 21 regular fire stations and 17 volunteer fire companies. Our volunteer firefighters need to be able to drop whatever they are doing and put their very lives in danger to assist fighting raging wildfires.
Volunteer Firefighter Commander, John Bertsch calls them, “A great force multiplier”.Historically the volunteers have had to work with the older, “hand-me-down”, equipment.
Fortunately, for all of us, that is beginning to change. Last Sunday Volunteer Station 9 Alpha at Waiki’i Ranch had a blessing and placed into service a new 1,200 gallon 4 wheel drive, off road tanker brushfire truck. The fundraising, purchase, manufacture and shipping was spearheaded by volunteer Captain Steve Grasso and was facilitated by the Daniel Sayre Memorial Foundation.
The new truck will join another, smaller 4×4 brushfire tanker truck that was donated through the Foundation to the Waiki’i Ranch firefighters a year ago. That truck responded to the recent Lalamilo wildfire and then was re-deployed to the Mauna Kea Beach fire. There it was singlehandedly responsible for saving at least two homes. The Waiki’i volunteers fought the fires for over 18 hours straight.
The blessing took place at the Waiki’i Ranch polo grounds and was officiated by Kahu Danny and Anna Akaka. It was a beautiful ceremony and included the blessing of the volunteer firefighters. The emotions of the day were very close to the surface in the context of the horrific tragedy of the Maui wildfires. It was a day, however, that truly reminded all who were present, “Lucky we live Hawaii”.
The Daniel R Sayre Foundation has donated over $15 million in equipment to the Hawaii Fire Department over the past 26 years, including July’s donation of a new H125 helicopter thanks to generous donations of community members.
If anyone would care to donate for other brushfire trucks for our volunteer firefighters, please make checks payable to the Daniel Sayre Memorial Foundation, and send to PO Box 1285, Kailua-Kona, 96745. Donations are IRS tax deductible and 100% of the fundscollected will go toward the purchase of the trucks. Please indicate designation to thevolunteers on your check.For more information, or to make a donation visit: danielsayrefoundation.org