LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Fire Department marked several milestones when it hosted friends and relatives of honored personnel to a ceremony at the Mo‘ikeha Building, Tuesday morning. During the ceremony where Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. joined Kaua‘i Fire Chief
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Fire Department marked several milestones when it hosted friends and relatives of honored personnel to a ceremony at the Mo‘ikeha Building, Tuesday morning.
During the ceremony where Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. joined Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman in honoring five new water safety officers and graduates of the 20th Recruit class, the department also awarded certificates to personnel successfully completing the rescue craft operator training and celebrated the promotion of two fire captains and Sean Smith to the rank of Fire Fighter III.
Westerman said Smith, a 14-year veteran of the Kaua‘i Fire Department, has worked at all of the seven stations on the island and has been spearheading the information technology advancements within the department.
Steven Doi, a 23-year veteran of KFD, and Van Kawai Warren, who heads up the department’s Health and Wellness Program, were pinned as captains.
Operators of rescue craft — commonly referred to as jet skis — who completed the training course came from several different agencies including KFD and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
KFD personnel receiving certificates include Aaron Habermann, Adam Hussey, Gavin Kennelly, Kaleo-O-Kalani Lopez, Andrew Watt and Jeffrey Weiss.
Kalani Addington, Brad Akana, Christopher Gandeza and Lionel Gonsalves make up the DLNR rescue craft operators.
Five new water safety officer hires bolster the ranks of the Ocean Safety Bureau and prepares the force for the planned Ke‘e Beach tower, Westerman said.
The new lifeguards include Tyler Hale, Tyson Hawelu, Dustin Koga, Marvin Kainoa Lum and Aaron Tokuda.
Similarly, the 10 recruits who completed the initial phase of their training in the 20th Recruit class bolster the ranks of KFD in anticipation of the construction of the Kealia station, Westerman said. In addition to those honored during the Tuesday ceremony, Westerman said there are five more recruits still undergoing their initial training.
The honored recruits include Marc Beeby, Cadin Crane, Bo Domingcil, Elijah Frank, Robert Grance, Devin Medeiros, Shane Pope, Alan Satta, Micah Thayer and Kalan Zarbaugh.
Following the initial phase of training, each of the recruits will now be assigned to one of seven fire stations on the island where they will receive nine months of on-the-job training.
The successful completion of these phase will make them full-fledged fire fighters.
