Latest / The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi / HFD Fire Chief Kalani Hao and Deputy Fire Chief Jason Samala on the 175th anniversary of the department

Transcript

HFD Fire Chief Kalani Hao and Deputy Fire Chief Jason Samala on the 175th anniversary of the department · The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi

• 0:15
  Welcome to the one oahu podcast.
• 0:16
  I'm your host, Brandi Higa, and today is Thursday, January 22nd, 2026.
• 0:22
  And this week we're at the Honolulu Fire Department headquarters
• 0:25
  with Fire Chief Kalani Hao and his deputy, Fire Chief Jason Samala.
• 0:29
  Thank you both for your time.
• 0:30
  Thank you. Thank you. Interviewer.
• 0:32
  So, you know, chiefs were a few weeks removed from New Year's Eve.
• 0:36
  What was the response like for your department?
• 0:38
  Any major incidents? What did it look like this year?
• 0:40
  There was a sharp decrease actually.
• 0:43
  So last year we had 30 fire incidents, fireworks related incidents.
• 0:48
  This year, only two.
• 0:49
  So the laws and I think what the mayor did
• 0:53
  as far as reaching out to the community, it did make an impact.
• 0:56
  So we'll see what you know
• 0:59
  next year will bring to see if it'll steep or not.
• 1:03
  But yeah, you looked very good for us this year
• 1:06
  compared to last year, as far as, permits.
• 1:09
  I think we did see also a, a sharp decrease as well.
• 1:13
  It was a 20,000 down to 14,000, for things housing permits.
• 1:18
  So from the permitting side that also dropped
• 1:20
  and there were some laws, there were change as well as how many
• 1:24
  permits that a single person could, could purchase.
• 1:28
  So that might have made an impact to monitor
• 1:30
  the data moving forward and how we are under a new set of laws.
• 1:34
  And we'll see where that takes us for next year.
• 1:37
  Yeah. You kind of mentioned what worked, right.
• 1:38
  There was a strong messaging push before New Year's Eve.
• 1:42
  You know, what do you credit the success?
• 1:45
  I mean, two incidents are still incidents, but what do you credit the success to?
• 1:49
  You know, was it the community heating.
• 1:50
  Was it what worked?
• 1:52
  I think it was the legislation.
• 1:55
  That more, teeth maybe behind the laws.
• 1:59
  I think that maybe a lot of people I know, I'm still,
• 2:03
  what happened, you know, vehemently, still fresh in everyone's mind.
• 2:06
  But you have that little group.
• 2:07
  And, you know, I think each of the laws may have impacted certain people.
• 2:13
  If you make a decision whether to,
• 2:15
  you know, move away from illegals or fireworks,
• 2:17
  and then just the tragedy in itself, just for the respect,
• 2:20
  I think I read an article where just in that community that neighboring
• 2:25
  in the leomon that out of respect, those people that usually would have,
• 2:29
  you know, celebrated with fireworks in general,
• 2:33
  just sort of a sign of respect.
• 2:34
  They made sure that they did not really participate,
• 2:38
  With fireworks.
• 2:39
  Yeah.
• 2:40
  I think some of the public messaging really helped as well.
• 2:43
  You know, having our firefighters who were actually at the scene
• 2:45
  tell them their own personal experiences.
• 2:48
  Yeah, I think it really hit home for,
• 2:50
  a lot of people, right, to, to hear it from that perspective.
• 2:53
  I think it really helped us and then send that message.
• 2:56
  We also recently celebrated the department's 175th anniversary.
• 3:01
  Can you tell us about that ceremony?
• 3:02
  Maybe for those who weren't there, didn't
• 3:04
  catch the live stream or see it on the news?
• 3:06
  Yeah, we had a a great ceremony.
• 3:09
  It was just an opportunity to,
• 3:12
  you know, celebrate those who came before us.
• 3:14
  This one thing that you always see.
• 3:16
  And, you have our strategic plan here, you know, that, you know, we
• 3:20
  we just want to perpetuate, the culture,
• 3:23
  and honor those who came before us to ensure that
• 3:26
  we carry on the tradition of taking care of our community, which is our family.
• 3:30
  So it was, it was a very good event and very proud of the work that our,
• 3:34
  our planner did, not only for Sean, for me.
• 3:38
  And he had this theme and, you know, we just gave him the overall vision.
• 3:42
  And he came up with the theme
• 3:43
  and we followed him, you know, so all of our members who made it happen.
• 3:47
  So from the food to the entertainment, as you saw and a surprised us,
• 3:51
  I mentioned this at mayor's cabinet this morning, and I didn't realize that
• 3:54
  we would have over ten of our, you know, firefighters, uniformed and retired.
• 3:59
  That's good as well.
• 4:00
  So this was we didn't know exactly what it was.
• 4:04
  The extent to that this morning.
• 4:07
  He it yeah, definitely no surprise for us.
• 4:10
  And then,
• 4:10
  you know, if we had to paint the picture for those who couldn't be here
• 4:13
  and this is kind of unfortunate that more people couldn't be there,
• 4:16
  more members from the public.
• 4:16
  But, you know,
• 4:17
  you entered through our museum, which is one historical piece as well.
• 4:21
  So it's easy kind of through,
• 4:23
  the history of the department where it takes you back in time.
• 4:25
  Right.
• 4:26
  You're able to view a short video on the, history
• 4:29
  of our, our anniversary patch, both the old and the new ones.
• 4:32
  And then you kind of walk down the hall,
• 4:34
  you kind of walking through time basically. Right?
• 4:36
  And you ended up with our new mural, and it represents our department
• 4:39
  as a whole as well as our values and our mission.
• 4:41
  And then you exit out into the courtyard in a parking lot where their statement
• 4:44
  was, and that's, that's where the real surprise came in.
• 4:48
  Right? Because,
• 4:50
  the we're all Hawaiian band was there as well,
• 4:52
  which has a rich history, dating back to Clement as well.
• 4:55
  Great. But do you think about it? Right.
• 4:57
  And everyone out there that you saw our uniformed members, right.
• 5:00
  You may not have been in uniform, but you're part of the department
• 5:04
  and the weather to parade food or dancing for us or part of the past
• 5:07
  recruit classes,
• 5:08
  which is kind of the theme of it, right where you bring the roots, right?
• 5:11
  And then we're just a part of this whole history and part of the rooting system.
• 5:15
  So great event overall.
• 5:16
  I'm glad to be part of it for sure.
• 5:18
  You mentioned the mural that was unveiled.
• 5:21
  Can you talk about that for those who aren't familiar.
• 5:24
  So the mural,
• 5:26
  it replaced our old and the old and sort of did the same thing.
• 5:28
  Show history from our horse drawn carriages on the top, our old mural
• 5:33
  all the way to a new modern of, you know, fire trucks and is
• 5:38
  this theme that we wanted was, you know,
• 5:41
  we keep saying that we are part of the community, we're part of this family.
• 5:44
  And so the mural was a mosaic like that.
• 5:47
  It showed up a storm.
• 5:48
  We tried to mimic the historical picture of our chief officers
• 5:53
  and our operators in front of,
• 5:56
  Healing College. Heights.
• 5:58
  And so with that, we just didn't want the picture.
• 6:01
  And so the mosaic is actually
• 6:03
  all of these little pictures stitched together from afar.
• 6:06
  You see this beautiful big picture of us in front of your own palace.
• 6:10
  But as you go closer, we're made up of the individuals.
• 6:13
  Now, is this this history of pictures throughout?
• 6:16
  We have like thousands of pictures.
• 6:18
  And if you go close, you can kind of see that.
• 6:20
  And we have our,
• 6:22
  guiding principles on the wall.
• 6:24
  And it just shows how we're grounded
• 6:29
  and rooted to our community and, and how it takes all of us
• 6:33
  to make this department a way, what it is now and somehow
• 6:37
  still honoring the past and moving us forward into the future.
• 6:42
  Yeah, you can tell a lot of work went into that.
• 6:44
  You smile when you first saw that, you know, how long did you stand there
• 6:48
  and take a look and maybe even look closer?
• 6:50
  Try to find yourself in each of those tiny little stitches.
• 6:53
  Yeah. So that's the last thing right here.
• 6:55
  Last thing we're doing is looking for us.
• 6:57
  But but really? Yeah.
• 6:58
  I mean, it's just amazing, right?
• 6:59
  I mean, we were kind of part of the, the, the the planning process in some sense.
• 7:04
  Right.
• 7:05
  Some input.
• 7:05
  So I mean, what you saw was, was very intentional.
• 7:09
  But all we did was provide input, right?
• 7:12
  I mean,
• 7:12
  the real artists were behind the scene again, made up of the various firefighters
• 7:16
  within the department. Right.
• 7:18
  Even from the callers. Right.
• 7:19
  The way it faded from one color into more color.
• 7:22
  Right. I mean, this is very intentional.
• 7:24
  And I guess we could talk a little bit more about what what that means, right.
• 7:28
  It's always going back to our roots or the past rate.
• 7:31
  I mean, starting with the
• 7:32
  the colleagues and narrative and the values and the mission.
• 7:36
  And then as you move towards, from left to right, into the mosaic.
• 7:40
  Right. Yeah. From afar.
• 7:42
  You looking any, I guess you could tell this is us.
• 7:45
  I mean,
• 7:46
  because obviously we're in the picture,
• 7:47
  but if you're from outside, you wouldn't really know.
• 7:49
  What you see is more of the leadership out in front of the room.
• 7:52
  Yeah.
• 7:53
  Obviously, as you walk closer,
• 7:54
  you you soon discover that the department is not made up of just the leadership.
• 7:58
  It's really all those thousands of people throughout
• 8:01
  the generations that really made a department to where it's at today.
• 8:05
  So, yeah, I mean, just,
• 8:07
  Yeah, just just so proud.
• 8:09
  Hey, this is the best word for being when you stand back and look back
• 8:12
  and just pride and honored to be part of such a great organization.
• 8:15
  And and the people that I serve, the people really within it.
• 8:18
  Yeah.
• 8:18
  You know, we're all the little pictures going, little individual
• 8:22
  pieces of a puzzle, right, to make up the department.
• 8:25
  That's what we really wanted to.
• 8:26
  So that everyone has their part
• 8:29
  in making the department what it is.
• 8:31
  And you also mentioned the new patch.
• 8:34
  What went into creating this one?
• 8:36
  Very similar to what we did in the past 150.
• 8:40
  Reach out to our our members to see if they have any type of ideas.
• 8:43
  And, you know, they never fail to impress us
• 8:47
  about how deep they can get the patch. So,
• 8:52
  to honor the 175 they had all kind of different.
• 8:54
  I know we wanted to honor Kobe capabilities.
• 8:57
  And so just one of the things that we asked for Kobe, Kimberly
• 9:00
  to be in there, Hawaiian flag, all the symbolism,
• 9:04
  I think, give credit to the people who designed it and went back and forth
• 9:08
  about our every all of the little elements to add up to 175 years
• 9:14
  to the tea leaf lay, to show unity
• 9:17
  and how everything is connected.
• 9:20
  So it was a little bit, but I'm not doing it any justice.
• 9:25
  Yes, a video and if we can provide,
• 9:29
  the QR code so that people can kind of get the real story from the person
• 9:33
  we actually designed, we have we have all the QR codes down, down in our
• 9:39
  lobby area.
• 9:40
  Yeah.
• 9:40
  And that was an interesting process, right,
• 9:42
  because it went through multiple iterations of designs.
• 9:45
  I mean,
• 9:46
  because he had more than one artist, I think working on it was
• 9:48
  was actually a group working on it.
• 9:50
  And so they would present their ideas,
• 9:53
  based on where they're coming from within the department,
• 9:55
  maybe their own experiences and, or interpretations of, of,
• 10:00
  you know, I guess the mission and, and where we're at,
• 10:02
  he sort of came to the exact level when we saw it from a different perspective.
• 10:06
  Right, right.
• 10:07
  And then but the the good thing about is, is through that process, right.
• 10:12
  In the end, you come up with this perfect passion everybody is happy with.
• 10:15
  And there's a real subtle change, changes and symbolism within it.
• 10:19
  They represent the entire department as a whole, really, right
• 10:22
  down to the number of stars where they're located.
• 10:27
  Those, those simple kind of things.
• 10:28
  Yeah. I mean, unless it's explained to you. Yeah.
• 10:30
  You really wouldn't get it from a, from outside perspective.
• 10:33
  Right.
• 10:34
  So, so had, you know, some drafts had certain elements.
• 10:38
  And so the final patch was maybe grabbing a little piece
• 10:42
  from each of those, the ones that were submitted.
• 10:46
  And so what's the process now.
• 10:48
  Does it go on to your are you going to be wearing it on your shoulder or.
• 10:51
  It will go on our, it will replace our one 150 I say.
• 10:54
  So as far as our members getting new uniforms,
• 10:57
  it's going to be a transitional period where
• 10:58
  some of us are going to be wearing the 150 and some, like the one serving size.
• 11:02
  And probably one more thing we should probably mention, right.
• 11:05
  And you know,
• 11:06
  we're we're all about giving opportunities to to the people of the department.
• 11:10
  Right.
• 11:11
  And so we know that the next ceremony is gonna be 25 years from now.
• 11:15
  So those who were involved both in the planning and specifically
• 11:18
  maybe the patch is kind of like their patch, right?
• 11:22
  Because they're going to they're going to grow with it right
• 11:24
  at some point in time, 25 years from now, and celebrate the 200th anniversary.
• 11:29
  Right.
• 11:30
  They'll be able to speak to why was the way it was.
• 11:34
  Right.
• 11:34
  And then, you know,
• 11:35
  pass on that torch or the patch design to to the new generation.
• 11:39
  So, yeah, and sticking with that, I mean, this
• 11:42
  since something similar happened with the time capsule, right.
• 11:44
  So we recently opened the time capsule,
• 11:46
  if you could explain what year that one was from.
• 11:49
  And what was inside.
• 11:50
  Just seeing some of the items and just looking at the newspaper clippings and
• 11:54
  even we're uncertain of what exactly are we going to put in a year's time.
• 11:58
  So something that and throughout the year we're going to be collecting those items.
• 12:02
  And so it's thoughtful
• 12:04
  to make sure that the snapshot of of time that we didn't do in our era,
• 12:07
  that when the opening of 25 years from now, they're going to know
• 12:11
  it's going to be,
• 12:12
  you know, we're going to be very mindful of what we decide to put in.
• 12:15
  Yeah, yeah.
• 12:16
  Jason, what stood out to you?
• 12:18
  Well, what I remember way I mean, it was like there was a yearbook
• 12:21
  read the newspaper clippings.
• 12:23
  I think that stood out to me
• 12:24
  was was kind of like, oh, I wonder why that's in there, right?
• 12:26
  Was was a dog that was was a father, right?
• 12:29
  Yeah. Yeah.
• 12:30
  And then it kind of made sense
• 12:32
  because maybe back then I don't remember when we were in the department back then.
• 12:35
  Right.
• 12:35
  But I guess the big thing back then. Right?
• 12:37
  Paul Gray, the caps and but the, chiefly
• 12:40
  on the right, who, who basically held the force
• 12:44
  for a ceremony at 150th and kind of directed, you know,
• 12:48
  that whole event and whatever was in it, he's he's a bottle collector.
• 12:51
  Right. So there was like a milk bottle or something. Yes.
• 12:54
  There's a milk bottle in there as well. Right.
• 12:55
  So I think that that's kind of what's another
• 12:57
  it was kind of like it was a lot of place. Right.
• 12:59
  It was kind of reflecting a little of the time, I guess, you know.
• 13:02
  So. Yeah. Yeah. So,
• 13:05
  Chief Hall, as your, you know, you mentioned you're kind of thinking
• 13:08
  now what are we going to put in this one, what's reflective of you?
• 13:12
  I mean, you're going to put like a bottle of coconut water or what?
• 13:15
  What goes in your time capsule really years?
• 13:17
  You know, it's not about me or us, is it?
• 13:20
  Executive staff?
• 13:21
  I think we're trying to look at what our department as a whole.
• 13:24
  So like an energy drink, what's going in there.
• 13:27
  Or something that would capture our unity?
• 13:30
  Yeah.
• 13:30
  You know, the the cheese that the changes that we're going through now,
• 13:34
  I don't give you some sort of something digital minded.
• 13:37
  Yeah.
• 13:38
  Just, you know, using technology.
• 13:41
  Right.
• 13:44
  We'll probably write maybe we'll put out a survey or something like that.
• 13:47
  We'll get input from, from all the different generations
• 13:49
  that currently are in the department, and we'll see what they'll come up with.
• 13:52
  Right? Yeah. There's always will be great. So we'll we'll see.
• 13:56
  Yeah.
• 13:57
  Because, you know, if we decided as a group,
• 13:59
  you know, how we talked earlier about our perspectives and our experiences
• 14:03
  and, you know, it could be somewhat biased only towards us,
• 14:05
  but I really when I was open 25 years from now,
• 14:08
  whatever is in there, right, we want we want it to bring back memories
• 14:11
  for those who had a party. Right.
• 14:13
  So how else is, 1/75 being commemorated because there's events
• 14:17
  beyond just this month. Right.
• 14:19
  So we have upcoming, I think the next one is in April.
• 14:22
  It's our softball tournament.
• 14:23
  Okay.
• 14:24
  It's probably going to culminate at the park, right field,
• 14:27
  that we have coming on the parade.
• 14:30
  If we've got to participate in that as well.
• 14:32
  There's another event
• 14:34
  that not sure I'll have to check to close out our year.
• 14:38
  Okay.
• 14:39
  Looking forward to those events.
• 14:40
  Getting involved.
• 14:42
  I think that even in the leverage is when we actually close up the time.
• 14:46
  So you have till then.
• 14:47
  So we have a whole year to figure it out.
• 14:49
  To get it out. Yeah.
• 14:51
  And can you talk about how far this department has come?
• 14:54
  Chief, I know you mentioned it,
• 14:55
  to the new stations on on that day, but how far this department has come,
• 14:59
  not just, you know, your time here, but through those 175 years.
• 15:03
  Old, from a long way, from being a volunteer fire department with,
• 15:07
  you know, buckets to.
• 15:08
  Yeah, now, from steam engines, horse drawn carriages
• 15:11
  and all, we have the latest and greatest technology, right?
• 15:15
  Equipment, new apparatuses.
• 15:17
  And I think that's the you know, how the department has changed culturally.
• 15:21
  We've changed through, you know, the overthrow
• 15:25
  if you go back to that before, I mean, 1893, we started in 1851.
• 15:30
  So that period of time only through the overseer was just change.
• 15:34
  And then we became a state.
• 15:36
  And that is constant change.
• 15:38
  And I think
• 15:39
  the department has been successful in navigating through all of the changes
• 15:44
  in our city, in our state, to continue to do what we're doing.
• 15:48
  So, you we've come a long way.
• 15:51
  I think the challenge is now moving forward is culturally,
• 15:54
  there's a lot of generational, sorry, generational change.
• 15:58
  This will receive more of the use of technology even more and already
• 16:03
  coming around data and analytics to kind of do more with less.
• 16:08
  We're being asked to do more.
• 16:09
  It's just, you know, the nature of
• 16:13
  our community and our environment.
• 16:14
  Now. Yeah, I think to add more.
• 16:18
  Yeah.
• 16:19
  Yeah.
• 16:20
  You know, you look back at where the department was and where it came from.
• 16:23
  It it's that ability to to recognize
• 16:26
  the technological changes and embrace it.
• 16:30
  Right.
• 16:32
  Make decisions, you know, have that have for thinking in a foresight
• 16:36
  of how the world is changing and you trying to keep pace with it.
• 16:40
  Chief, all kind of mentioned that about the data, right?
• 16:44
  Data driven decisions.
• 16:45
  And you think about the world today, right, with AI and all that.
• 16:48
  Right? Use data.
• 16:50
  I mean, the city really has its own chief data officer.
• 16:53
  And it's still fairly new within the fire service.
• 16:56
  Right? We're all asking the same questions.
• 16:58
  A lot of fire chiefs around the nation, probably even around the world. Right.
• 17:00
  How do we leverage this technology to make our job safer?
• 17:04
  Both for us and and the people we're trying to serve.
• 17:06
  Right.
• 17:07
  At the same time, say, within, within our, our budgets
• 17:10
  and, you know, the other demands of the city in a state. So,
• 17:15
  yeah.
• 17:15
  And you look at the challenges, I think it's cost similar
• 17:19
  so much to, to maybe what the fire just may have been.
• 17:22
  The country as well back then.
• 17:24
  Right, is just the ever changing world.
• 17:26
  I mean,
• 17:26
  and then just being able to adjust to, to the growing needs of the community.
• 17:31
  And so what does that look like moving into 2026 and beyond?
• 17:34
  You know, you mentioned data driven, decision making.
• 17:38
  Is it like wearable technology?
• 17:39
  Are we using more AI drones?
• 17:42
  I mean, what does that look like moving forward?
• 17:44
  Be a little bit of for both, you know, wearable technology.
• 17:47
  We've been working with, a futurist spectrum, maybe a year,
• 17:52
  like a year and a half in to see where technology and I can actually take us.
• 17:56
  And you have of all in China, they're making, firefighting robots.
• 18:01
  And, you know, that ultimately can do some of the things that we do.
• 18:05
  So we we're
• 18:07
  reaching out, learning about everything that we can about where we can utilize AI.
• 18:12
  Again, with the intent of
• 18:14
  making ourselves more efficient, make it stick for, for our personnel,
• 18:17
  and then ultimately going to be able to provide a safer community
• 18:21
  for up there for our city.
• 18:24
  Yeah.
• 18:25
  Nathan, the thing about,
• 18:27
  trying to see in peace with, with the world,
• 18:31
  one thing that we really want to try and do and is,
• 18:33
  is to get more involved with outside entities, right.
• 18:37
  Whether we, you know, become, members of technical committees,
• 18:42
  either learn from that or help shape some of that.
• 18:46
  Right, using our experience and technical knowledge, get involved with
• 18:51
  some of the universities with capstone projects or internships, right.
• 18:55
  We can help them just as much as they can help us. Right?
• 18:57
  So it's just kind of embracing the the new mindset.
• 19:01
  You know, the creative thinking of the of the younger generation.
• 19:03
  Right.
• 19:03
  Incorporate that into, into the Department of Fire Service.
• 19:07
  And for you too personally, what's changed since you first got in?
• 19:11
  You know, the last time I sat down with Catmull and,
• 19:14
  Carl Itsuka, they talked about how not everyone had,
• 19:16
  like a radio, like just something simple like that,
• 19:18
  but how it's just changed so much since they first got in.
• 19:22
  Taking up technology.
• 19:23
  Some of the the equipment that we are aware of,
• 19:26
  the thing for me and use them all.
• 19:27
  We've been in this building for 15 years.
• 19:29
  So to go down to that level of what we had in the past, that would be one thing.
• 19:35
  Everyone having a radio communications, everything is being enhanced.
• 19:38
  I remember when the first computers came out, it stations with a little apple.
• 19:43
  What was it before that pen and paper and paper?
• 19:46
  I think we're going to be
• 19:47
  so, you know, from when we first came in, I think the computers just started.
• 19:52
  So how it has evolved into our, you know, computer aided dispatch
• 19:56
  and how everything is becoming more and more integrated.
• 19:59
  And that, in turn, is going to allow us to be more efficient in how we respond,
• 20:02
  how we capture the information.
• 20:04
  So we can actually write a lot of data is helping us learn exponentially.
• 20:08
  So I think that is where the biggest change or what I've seen.
• 20:14
  What about you just now?
• 20:15
  Yeah.
• 20:15
  You know, I mean, so I'm a second generation firefighter, right?
• 20:18
  My dad was in the firehouse race, at least part of that old school gang.
• 20:21
  And you know what kind of stories you tell me, right?
• 20:23
  I mean, there's no way back then.
• 20:26
  I mean, you know, I was just. Thinking, what is that?
• 20:28
  For those who aren't familiar.
• 20:29
  Also self-contained breathing apparatus.
• 20:31
  Right. So,
• 20:33
  So what did you what did they use?
• 20:35
  So, you know, just they kind of go in there
• 20:37
  and they just you just eat the smoke basically. Right.
• 20:39
  And those the smoke eaters are I mean, they're they're a tough buggers, right?
• 20:43
  So, but but when we first came in, right, I remember things like,
• 20:48
  there's only one radio, on the truck, usually the captain had it right.
• 20:52
  There was one SCBA mass ran it.
• 20:54
  Was it a mask put on her face, and we would connect their hoses
• 20:57
  to air hoses to.
• 20:58
  There was only one per firefighter truck.
• 21:00
  We had to share it right between the different platoons and all of that. Right.
• 21:03
  So I mean, things like that or even like, remember the 80s,
• 21:07
  the automatic external defibrillators for CPR cases.
• 21:10
  I mean, there were these big heavy look like battery car
• 21:14
  battery blocks, you know, that we'd have to carry to the scene.
• 21:17
  I mean, you think about nowadays it's just this little device.
• 21:20
  In fact, they're all over there. They're all over. Right.
• 21:22
  You're in all city buildings and some private buildings.
• 21:24
  You can just purchase them on your own if you want.
• 21:26
  Nowadays, every every firefighter has has a radio, right.
• 21:30
  Everybody has their own mass or what.
• 21:32
  It has those thermal imager cameras on their, on their.
• 21:35
  You know.
• 21:36
  Right. So,
• 21:39
  from where you are. Right.
• 21:40
  And this is like maybe 20, 30 years ago to where we are now.
• 21:43
  It's almost like exponential rate.
• 21:45
  But with that comes.
• 21:47
  Right, I mean, definitely a lot more learning,
• 21:50
  a lot more use cases, a lot of how to use it.
• 21:53
  Right?
• 21:53
  I mean, so a lot with that comes some challenges as well.
• 21:56
  But you know, we got we got competent, bright, smart firefighters.
• 22:00
  So another big change is more with, health and well-being of of our members.
• 22:05
  You just spoke about self-contained breathing apparatuses,
• 22:08
  and now we have proper decon.
• 22:11
  We we have to decline before our guys leave.
• 22:14
  Leave the site before we leave.
• 22:15
  All that is soot and everything on the body.
• 22:17
  And now we're getting down to the levels of making sure our firefighters are safe
• 22:22
  and making sure they have the proper equipment so they're not breathing smoke.
• 22:26
  So a lot of more of a health and wellness initiatives.
• 22:28
  This what we're seeing now for the mind and body.
• 22:31
  Yeah. Yeah.
• 22:32
  I would, I would, I would say that that is definitely one of the big cultural
• 22:35
  changes in, in the, in our department, I think, and fire service in general.
• 22:39
  Or you think about back in the, the dirtier you were
• 22:43
  the more respected you are.
• 22:44
  Right.
• 22:45
  So you look at the throughout the dirty
• 22:46
  it was or you come out all black face from smoke.
• 22:49
  I mean you're more respected nowadays. It's.
• 22:52
  Yeah every not every station but a lot of stations have extractors.
• 22:55
  We used to wash or turn elsewhere.
• 22:57
  When asked who said so, I mean, it is very much health driven, right?
• 23:02
  Cancer awareness, cancer screening, all that is.
• 23:05
  And so now is acceptable, right?
• 23:06
  It's okay to be clean.
• 23:08
  You want to be.
• 23:10
  That's a good way to put it.
• 23:11
  To smile.
• 23:12
  You know, when you're talking about your dad
• 23:13
  and the generations in the department, it's almost chicken skin.
• 23:16
  When you talk about the rich tradition of this department.
• 23:20
  And so before you both were fire chiefs,
• 23:23
  you were firefighter recruits, then ones, threes and so forth, so on.
• 23:27
  What's been your proudest moment?
• 23:29
  I guess for me, I would give my perspective.
• 23:31
  Now it's just watching those that I work the wrong or method
• 23:35
  to see them reach their goals. I think God,
• 23:40
  I think that would be my hardest moment
• 23:42
  to see somebody that you've invested your your own efforts
• 23:45
  in knowing that when we leave, that's our legacy, leaving people,
• 23:50
  the people that can carry on the work,
• 23:53
  to continue to move the department forward.
• 23:56
  So be my colleagues.
• 23:58
  I would say. Yeah.
• 24:00
  I think something similar. Yeah.
• 24:02
  I mean definitely you. Right?
• 24:04
  I mean, working with people throughout all these years.
• 24:06
  Right.
• 24:07
  Seeing how they've grown individually,
• 24:11
  whether they got promoted up and become a chief officer
• 24:13
  or just was remain the firefighter.
• 24:15
  I've seen them leave the department or definitely leaving the department
• 24:18
  a better place.
• 24:19
  But but seeing them leave the department healthy and happy.
• 24:23
  Right.
• 24:25
  You know,
• 24:26
  you hear about people retiring, right?
• 24:30
  And then, and this is something we're, we're kind of discovering,
• 24:34
  you know, they kind of lose some sense of identity, right?
• 24:36
  They kind of missing department so much. Right.
• 24:38
  And it shouldn't make you proud.
• 24:40
  But in a sense, that that's how much of an impact that the department had on them.
• 24:45
  Right.
• 24:46
  And then, you know, our time within the building.
• 24:49
  Right?
• 24:50
  I mean, I know it's been like five years with this administration, but
• 24:53
  15 years in total in the building and, and those kind of impacts we,
• 24:56
  we made administratively and how it changed
• 24:58
  and influenced the workforce
• 24:59
  over time were, you know, it made it better for them.
• 25:02
  Right. And,
• 25:04
  you know, seeing that, that that career
• 25:07
  so fulfilling for them and having to leave healthy and safe.
• 25:10
  Right.
• 25:10
  And, you know, just having them, you know, when they leave,
• 25:13
  they kind of look back and they really miss it.
• 25:14
  So I mean, that's it's very impactful for us.
• 25:16
  And yeah, I mean, I would have to say it very similar and just
• 25:20
  kind of the proudest moment that we had.
• 25:22
  And the opportunity to make an impact for winning within a.
• 25:24
  Department is really hard to define.
• 25:27
  The singular. Yeah, I know.
• 25:29
  Because as you go through your career,
• 25:31
  you have these relationships that you build with your crew at that time.
• 25:35
  Yeah.
• 25:35
  As you move up the chain, you know,
• 25:38
  that perspective changes.
• 25:40
  You got a new group of people that you're proud of,
• 25:42
  just working with them and what the team accomplished.
• 25:45
  So as we went from firefighters are our impact
• 25:49
  that we have is more with each other and directly to the community.
• 25:52
  And as we like, like you, Chief Jay alluded to,
• 25:55
  the higher you go, the broader your region and what you can are able to accomplish
• 26:01
  and see the fruits of
• 26:03
  your labor and making the department better than we found it this year.
• 26:07
  You see that in our strategic plan, we see that our our sole purpose is to
• 26:11
  our mission is to leave the department better than we found it.
• 26:15
  Yeah. What's something?
• 26:16
  This is my last question
• 26:17
  on being reflective, but what's something you wish you could have told your 20
• 26:21
  something year old self when you were brand new in this department?
• 26:25
  It's a good question.
• 26:29
  Keep your head down.
• 26:31
  Take every opportunity that comes your way.
• 26:35
  Be humble.
• 26:36
  I mean, it's I think we both had the same, very similar career path.
• 26:42
  We love our job, so
• 26:44
  I would have just said the same thing.
• 26:46
  Be humble, work hard, keep your head down, and,
• 26:52
  Step up.
• 26:53
  When the department needs you.
• 26:55
  Yeah.
• 26:56
  I think for me is, you know, I tell myself, you know,
• 26:59
  don't don't take life for granted, you know,
• 27:03
  now that we're older, we're nearing our end of our career.
• 27:07
  It's been more and more reflective. Right?
• 27:09
  Is, you know, can I do that more often now?
• 27:12
  But, you know, young in the department, you're still deserving just to
• 27:16
  get better, have fun, create new relationships.
• 27:19
  And, you know,
• 27:21
  you know, just experience as much as you can.
• 27:23
  But I always tell myself and, you know, like, think about just
• 27:26
  the nature of our job where we see so much destruction,
• 27:30
  loss and death. Right.
• 27:32
  And those are all reminders that, you know,
• 27:35
  we probably should have taken that a life is fragile.
• 27:38
  So make sure you have balance in your life.
• 27:41
  You go home, right?
• 27:42
  You treat your family well, experience as much as you can within your means.
• 27:46
  Right?
• 27:48
  Yeah.
• 27:48
  And just just enjoy life. Really?
• 27:51
  Yeah.
• 27:52
  Well, it is the beginning of 2026.
• 27:54
  You guys have any New Year's resolution? Are you resolution guys?
• 27:57
  Yeah, I think Jason kind of said it is balance.
• 28:01
  You know you gotta find balance.
• 28:03
  Work life balance.
• 28:05
  There's only so much that we can accomplish and we kind of put
• 28:08
  too much on our shoulders, especially for leaders.
• 28:11
  We have to be mindful of of how we conduct ourselves
• 28:14
  if we show that we're taking care of ourselves physically,
• 28:18
  that's the tragedy, and it's okay for me to take a breather.
• 28:21
  So we we're we're mindful of that.
• 28:23
  And we just want to make sure that,
• 28:26
  you know, everybody wants to do a good job.
• 28:28
  But sometimes we just have to be more aware
• 28:30
  and just making sure that our guys don't,
• 28:33
  you know, have to have they all have to have balance.
• 28:36
  So I'm not the one to check you.
• 28:38
  But you know, we're a few weeks in now.
• 28:39
  How is that resolution going?
• 28:41
  Are you finding balance, chief?
• 28:42
  It's it's you know, I think so.
• 28:46
  I'm very fortunate to have a good partner as well
• 28:49
  and kind of help me keep balanced.
• 28:51
  And, you know, I'm good at the I'm good.
• 28:55
  And when we all have, we all struggle with it.
• 28:58
  Totally work and home life. But
• 29:02
  continue to try.
• 29:04
  She's more.
• 29:06
  Yeah. I'm not too much of a resolution guy.
• 29:08
  I'm more of a revolution guy.
• 29:14
  But yeah I mean I think it's.
• 29:16
  Yeah.
• 29:16
  Likewise I think just balance
• 29:18
  I mean I think, I think for me, things became a little more clear.
• 29:22
  You know, I have two young grandchildren.
• 29:25
  See the priorities a little bit different.
• 29:26
  All right.
• 29:29
  So I think it's just
• 29:30
  balancing between work and family really is what it is.
• 29:34
  So I'm such an older person.
• 29:37
  I have, you know, we
• 29:39
  it's not as easy as it sounds.
• 29:42
  Well is there anything that we missed.
• 29:43
  But we love our job.
• 29:46
  You know one thing that I gotta say we have a great team,
• 29:49
  we enjoy coming to work.
• 29:51
  I think we both see the same thing no matter what comes our way at all.
• 29:56
  You just having the right people surrounded by us.
• 29:59
  We want to deal with anything that comes that we.
• 30:03
  Yeah.
• 30:04
  You proud of our team and happy and just honored to be serving in.
• 30:08
  Yeah.
• 30:09
  My brothers and sisters up there.
• 30:12
  Yeah. And to be honest. Right.
• 30:14
  It's kind of interesting, right. Even,
• 30:17
  you know, if there's anything we miss and just just being here
• 30:20
  to just just talking story, I mean, because
• 30:24
  being in these positions, we never it's nothing we we show for you
• 30:28
  just we just come in work, we do our thing, we love what we're doing.
• 30:31
  And just things kind of unfold and play out for us.
• 30:34
  So tell us, sit here and be reflected on on
• 30:37
  what we did or what we want to do is, is kind of challenging.
• 30:40
  This.
• 30:41
  I don't know, we just come to work and do what we gotta do, right?
• 30:44
  And it's not so much, accomplish driven right.
• 30:48
  Yeah, somewhat results driven.
• 30:49
  But the results is more on the people. Right.
• 30:52
  Where are they at?
• 30:53
  How are they feeling?
• 30:53
  Are they happier receiving stuff? Right. So,
• 30:58
  but always appreciate.
• 30:59
  Right.
• 30:59
  Being able to talk to people and then ask the questions and then,
• 31:03
  you know, it's like, okay, yeah, we can talk about that or.
• 31:05
  Yeah, I didn't think about that.
• 31:06
  But we can talk about that because if asked, like, what did you guys do today?
• 31:09
  We probably like well, I'm not sure I forgot.
• 31:14
  A bit of everything we did is different.
• 31:18
  You know, that's the one thing that I think you talk
• 31:21
  to any shark or any firefighter is not
• 31:24
  you never know what they expect that
• 31:26
  the day what the deal will be, it's always different.
• 31:29
  Slightly different scene but different.
• 31:31
  Yeah. Yeah.
• 31:33
  Well we'll have to say though I mean and this is we talk about timing, right.
• 31:38
  And all the things that we've, we've gone
• 31:41
  through last year, even a year before that with this administration.
• 31:46
  But it's just the city as a
• 31:48
  whole under the mayors that you ship and you're not just seeing it.
• 31:51
  You know, maybe it's true.
• 31:52
  I mean, with his leadership, the staff that he has,
• 31:56
  all the directors and the deputies,
• 31:59
  you know, that he pointed.
• 32:01
  I mean, if there's anything that we
• 32:04
  can't do, I mean, it's just like, it's this is this is the time.
• 32:07
  This is the right time, right?
• 32:08
  Because I think we got the right people in the right place.
• 32:10
  We have the energy, we have the passion.
• 32:12
  I think we have the cadence for sure.
• 32:14
  Right?
• 32:14
  We're all in the role. Momentum is going,
• 32:17
  so I mean, definitely it helps us as administration
• 32:21
  to move forward and, and do the things that we want to do
• 32:24
  because we have the 100% back in support of all county members.
• 32:29
  So really appreciate the yeah, the city as a whole.
• 32:35
  You see how it flows over the years?
• 32:36
  Not every we've been around all of the other directors,
• 32:40
  the relationships are a lot more solid now.
• 32:43
  And I would agree, you know, four years ago or five years in a row, strangers.
• 32:47
  Now, obviously, you know, we can hit the ground running.
• 32:50
  If the mayor said 20, 26 is his results now
• 32:54
  and we we yeah, we're looking forward to if you can kind of see
• 32:57
  right on the cusp of what's making some significant change.
• 33:01
  Well, thank you both for your time.
• 33:04
  Thank you.
• 33:05
  And next week
• 33:05
  we'll be back with Mayor Rick Blangiardi right here on the One Oahu Podcast.
• 33:09
  You can send in your questions by dropping into our DMs or emailing me.
• 33:13
  Mahalo for listening.
• 33:14
  And until next time, Aloha!