The ballot for this year’s general election may ask voters about separating ocean safety services from the city’s Department of Emergency Services, where it is currently housed alongside the city’s emergency medical services and health.
A resolution seeking to put that question on the ballot passed through a council committee hearing this week and will move on to a second hearing.
The measure would structure the new department in a way that’s similar to the Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Fire Department, meaning it would have its own chief, commission and staff.
Councilmember Andria Tupola said it’s important that all departments with first responders have a commission, which provides oversight and transparency for their operations.
“If it really is a first responder department, it should have a commission. The reason why is because our accountability to the public is high for situations like this. Saving lives, rescuing people — this is the kind of thing that people want to see oversight on,” Tupola said.
Most testifiers for the resolution were also in support of separating ocean safety into its own department, with many saying that it would ensure lifeguards and other rescue personnel could be properly paid and equipped to do their jobs.
The 2024 fiscal year operating budget for ocean safety services is around $22.7 million for about 290 positions, according to the city budget. Emergency medical services were allocated $39 million for nearly 320 positions.
Honolulu Chief of Ocean Safety John Titchen estimated about 10 new administrative positions would be needed if a new department was created. He said those positions would require an additional $1 million.
He said a new ocean safety department would improve operations in an area where it’s needed.
“We’re an island of one million residents … sometimes a quarter of a million visitors here, the vast majority of whom are coming to go to the beach,” Titchen said.
“We believe this is a natural evolution of the service we provide as lifeguards,” he said.
City and County of Honolulu Managing Director Mike Formby said splitting ocean safety and ambulance services would help both operations.
“We talk about ocean safety getting its own department, but we never talk about the fact that EMS and health services get their own department. So, there's actually two goods that could come out of this if we decided to go this way," Formby said.
"First responders in both would have the ability to speak to the administration and to the council, just like fire and police.”
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi last year announced his intention to separate the two services, and created a task force to look into it.
Councilmember Calvin Say said even more work should have been done to review and study the creation of an entirely new city department.
“It’s not that easy to create a department. … Just with one task force recommendation, we have to make a hard decision,” he said.
