New, $630K fire engine blessed

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Kahu Lady Ipo Kahauna‘ele Ferreira of Ke Akua Mana officiates over the blessing of the new Engine 3, Monday at the historic County Building.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Battalion chiefs from the Kauai Fire Department add their mana‘o to the new Engine 3 as Kahu Lady Ipo Kahauna‘ele Ferreira of Ke Akua Mana concludes the blessing ceremony, Monday at the historic County Building.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Guests to the blessing of the new Engine 3 get together for a photo following the blessing Monday at the historic County Building.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

The county’s newest Engine 3 was previewed to the public Friday evening during the Lights on Rice holiday parade where the engine provided a ride for Sparky as well as the required nighttime illumination for the American flag that was presented by the Waimea High School JROTC color guard. The new engine was blessed Monday.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Ezkiel Higashi insisted on wearing his fire fighter outfit, Monday as he gets a feel for the new fire engine that was blessed at the historic County Building.

LIHUE The Kauai Fire Department held a blessing ceremony on Monday fronting the Historic County Building in Lihue for its new Engine 3 fire apparatus.

LIHUE — The Kauai Fire Department held a blessing ceremony on Monday fronting the Historic County Building in Lihue for its new Engine 3 fire apparatus.

“Mahalo to our entire team for their commitment to provide this needed apparatus that will provide coverage throughout Lihue and beyond,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kilipaki Vaughan.

Engine 3 is a 2019 Rosenbauer Triple Combination Custom Chassis Pumper designed for the Lihue district, which covers the areas between Halfway Bridge and Kauai Beach Resort. Lihue’s district also extends further out in both directions, responding to fires as far as Hanapepe, Koloa, and Kaiakea districts. The new engine replaces a 17-year-old Pierce engine. It is customized to suit Lihue’s ever growing needs with additional storage space for equipment and personnel.

The purchase of Engine 3 was about $630,000.

“The design and purchase of Engine 3 was a partnered effort among our Lihue station personnel, KFD’s Apparatus Committee led by Battalion Chief Solomon Kanoho and chaired by Firefighter Nohili Vierra, partners with Rosenbauer and Burton’s Fire Inc., county departments, and the Kauai County Council,” said Vaughan. “Our former Engine 3 will continue to be maintained as a spare engine should there be a need for additional service support in the future.”

Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami attended the blessing ceremony and welcomed the crowd of approximately 45 KFD personnel and family, government officials, private industry representatives and community partners.

“Congratulations to the Kauai Fire Department and our valued partners for working diligently to acquire this beautiful new and upgraded engine which will ensure the safety of all citizens and visitors alike,” Kawakami said. “Being a first responder is something that we do not take lightly. So thank you for your continued dedication and service, and let this new engine serve its purpose to further protect the health, wellness, and safety of our community now and for many more years to come.”

Kahu Lady Ipo Kahauna‘ele-Ferreira concluded the ceremony and officiated the hands-on blessing of Engine 3, the Lihue fire station, and its crew.

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