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Finance Committee backs FEMA SAFER grant to add 12 firefighter positions for rural Hawaii County stations
Summary
The committee voted March 3 to forward Resolution 478-26 and companion budget bills to the council, accepting $2.68 million in FEMA SAFER grant funds that create 12 temporary firefighter positions serving four rural communities; the fire chief and several council members urged planning to make the positions permanent after the grant period.
The Hawaii County Finance Committee on March 3 voted to forward Resolution 478-26 — accepting a FEMA SAFER grant of approximately $2,678,274.60 — and companion budget measures to the full council with favorable recommendations. The grant will fund 12 temporary firefighter positions allocated across four rural stations (North Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa and Pahala), with recruitment and training to proceed under the grant timeline.
Why it matters: Committee members and the fire chief stressed these rural stations lack immediate backup and face higher response times; expanding staffing in those locations addresses documented operational and safety shortfalls identified by a county audit. Several council members pushed the administration to plan now for converting grant‑funded temporary posts into permanent positions after the federal funding ends.
Administration and department view: Acting Chief Daniel Volpe told the committee the department supports converting these positions to permanent roles, and described rising call volumes (more than 31,000 calls in 2024) and wildfire risk that increase the county’s staffing needs. The chief said the grant will place three additional personnel per shift across four stations and that the positions were written into existing stations with room for equipment and locker space.
Council action and budget language: The committee forwarded the resolution and Bill 133 (a budget amendment to appropriate a portion of SAFER funds into the county staffing account) and Bill 134 (housing production appropriation) to the council with favorable recommendations. Councilors repeatedly asked the administration and Finance to prepare a plan for absorbing the recurring cost into the county budget at the end of the federal period.
Next steps: Recruitment is underway for grant‑funded temporary positions; the administration and Fire Department were asked to provide cost estimates and a multi‑year plan for making positions permanent through the budgeting process. The committee also received letters of support from the fire union and state partners and noted the companion appropriation bill’s passage in committee.
Quote: "The call volume is only going up," Acting Chief Daniel Volpe told the committee, urging support for staffing funded by the SAFER grant. The committee voted (9–0) to forward the resolution and companion bills to the council.
