HLU-17 BILL 89 (2026) BILL 89 (2026), BILL 90 (2026), AND BILL 91 (2026), DISTRICT BOUNDARY AMENDMENT, COMMUNITY PLAN AMENDMENT, AND CHANGE IN ZONING FOR A 6.097-ACRE PORTION OF TAX MAP KEY (2) 2-7-007:008, HAMAKUALOA, HAWAI?I (HA?IK? FIRE STATION) (HLU-17)
I am in support of the Haiku Fire Station to provide better standards of cover for the community and shorter response times. The additional manpower will provide additional resources when needed for larger incidents. This needs to happen now.
Mahalo for your attention!
FF3 Aaron Kahaloa
Lahaina Fire Station
Ladder 3, B Watch
Chair and Members,
My name is Brandt Saki. I am a firefighter with the Maui Fire Department, assigned to Makawao Fire Station. I have done this job for 9 years. I live in Pukalani. I support Bills 89, 90 and 91.
Every firefighter in this county knows that minutes save lives.
When we are called to someone who is unresponsive and not breathing, the clock did not start when the tones dropped. It started before that. Everything we carry, all the training, all the equipment, only matters if we are standing there in time to use it. There is no tool on that apparatus that gives back the minutes we spent driving.
Ha‘iku has been sitting on the far end of that drive for a long time. The closest help is Pa‘ia at six miles and Makawao at eight. I have first hand experience with having to respond from Makawao to Pauwela; when paia is on another call. Time is of the essence, with districts that large it is impossible to respond in a timely matter. It is poor response time for the patient and it puts additional stress on as as firefighters to respond safely. A single call out to Ke‘anae takes Pa‘ia out of its own district for two hours, there and back. Your own Planning Department report says it plainly: Pa‘ia town has adequate fire protection, and large areas beyond Ha‘iku do not. And a station there is one more crew that can be sent anywhere on this island on the worst day.
Measured against the national four minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents live within four minutes of a fire station today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling this department, would bring that to about two thirds.
Thank you for your time, and for the care you are giving this.
Brandt Dean Saki
Firefighter III
Maui Fire Department, Makawao Fire Station
9 years of service
Pukalani , Hawai‘i
Over 23 years in the fire service with 17 of those serving the UpCountry districts where I’ve lived my entire life. Over those years I’ve seen the growth of our community and seen the need for added emergency response. The addition of a Fire Ststion in Haiku not only services the residents of Haiku in a more timely manner (which has increased response times due to the fact that speed bumps have been placed not only in residential neighborhoods but also on highways), but it also lessens the call volume on other fire crews that would be responding further into haiku’s proposed district and keep them available for other calls within their districts available to respond in a timely manner.
I am Kalani Nicholls and I am a Fire Captain with 24 years at Maui Fire Department. Please read and then understand the facts that follows. Over the past 2 decades, MFD's call volume has increased over 400%. There has not been an additional fire station built over that time frame. Wailea was the last station, which opened in 2002. Countless new subdivisions and entire communities have been built since 2002. Maui is already 20 years behind in building and then supporting infrastructure, especially public safety. The general population and especially the politicians of Maui do not know how lucky they are to have the quality firefighters, ALS and law enforcement personnel currently serving Maui. Other municipalities are envious of the training, capabilities and professionalism Maui PS exemplifies. The thing that is lacking is coverage. Simply put, there is not enough to go around. If Haiku and Oluwalu Stations are built, then Maui County is only 3-4 stations behind what is needed today. Literally, lives are put at risk because of this. Workload for PS is already approaching unmanageable expectations. Please support building Haiku fire station, then a Waikapu and so on. They NEED to be there. Mahalo for your time.
Aloha,
Measured against the national four minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents live within four minutes of a fire station today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling the Maui Fire Department, would bring that to about two thirds. 14 more for 66%!
My name is Tanner Mosher. I am a Maui Fire Fighter and the Maui Division Chair for Local 1463. I am humbly reaching out to you to support these bills, 89, 90 and 91, and I’ll tell you why.
Every Fire Fighter in this county knows that minutes save lives.
When we are called to someone who is unresponsive and not breathing, the clock did not start when the tones dropped. It started before that. Everything we carry, all the training, all the equipment, only matters if we are standing there in time to use it. There is no tool on that apparatus that gives back the minutes we spent driving.
When we measure Maui County against the national four-minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents have a fire station within four minutes today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling this department, would bring that to about two-thirds coverage. That figure comes from mapping we did ourselves, measured over the road network rather than as a straight line, and weighted by where residents actually live. I ask you to think about that, please.
To me personally, Ha‘iku is not an isolated request. It is one of fourteen that are long overdue. Chief Ventura told this committee on July 29 that the department’s own coverage study named Ha‘iku among the places a station is needed. Our mapping reaches the same conclusion independently.
These three bills move the first of those fourteen. To me, lives are priceless, and response time should never be the reason we can’t save them. We appreciate the time this committee has already given this project, and we are glad to provide whatever else would be useful to your review.
Aloha Council and committee,
I am in support of the Haiku Fire Station to provide better standards of cover for the community and shorter response times. The additional manpower will provide additional resources when needed for larger incidents. This needs to happen now.
Mahalo for your attention!
FF3 Aaron Kahaloa
Lahaina Fire Station
Ladder 3, B Watch
Chair and Members,
My name is Brandt Saki. I am a firefighter with the Maui Fire Department, assigned to Makawao Fire Station. I have done this job for 9 years. I live in Pukalani. I support Bills 89, 90 and 91.
Every firefighter in this county knows that minutes save lives.
When we are called to someone who is unresponsive and not breathing, the clock did not start when the tones dropped. It started before that. Everything we carry, all the training, all the equipment, only matters if we are standing there in time to use it. There is no tool on that apparatus that gives back the minutes we spent driving.
Ha‘iku has been sitting on the far end of that drive for a long time. The closest help is Pa‘ia at six miles and Makawao at eight. I have first hand experience with having to respond from Makawao to Pauwela; when paia is on another call. Time is of the essence, with districts that large it is impossible to respond in a timely matter. It is poor response time for the patient and it puts additional stress on as as firefighters to respond safely. A single call out to Ke‘anae takes Pa‘ia out of its own district for two hours, there and back. Your own Planning Department report says it plainly: Pa‘ia town has adequate fire protection, and large areas beyond Ha‘iku do not. And a station there is one more crew that can be sent anywhere on this island on the worst day.
Measured against the national four minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents live within four minutes of a fire station today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling this department, would bring that to about two thirds.
Thank you for your time, and for the care you are giving this.
Brandt Dean Saki
Firefighter III
Maui Fire Department, Makawao Fire Station
9 years of service
Pukalani , Hawai‘i
Over 23 years in the fire service with 17 of those serving the UpCountry districts where I’ve lived my entire life. Over those years I’ve seen the growth of our community and seen the need for added emergency response. The addition of a Fire Ststion in Haiku not only services the residents of Haiku in a more timely manner (which has increased response times due to the fact that speed bumps have been placed not only in residential neighborhoods but also on highways), but it also lessens the call volume on other fire crews that would be responding further into haiku’s proposed district and keep them available for other calls within their districts available to respond in a timely manner.
I am Kalani Nicholls and I am a Fire Captain with 24 years at Maui Fire Department. Please read and then understand the facts that follows. Over the past 2 decades, MFD's call volume has increased over 400%. There has not been an additional fire station built over that time frame. Wailea was the last station, which opened in 2002. Countless new subdivisions and entire communities have been built since 2002. Maui is already 20 years behind in building and then supporting infrastructure, especially public safety. The general population and especially the politicians of Maui do not know how lucky they are to have the quality firefighters, ALS and law enforcement personnel currently serving Maui. Other municipalities are envious of the training, capabilities and professionalism Maui PS exemplifies. The thing that is lacking is coverage. Simply put, there is not enough to go around. If Haiku and Oluwalu Stations are built, then Maui County is only 3-4 stations behind what is needed today. Literally, lives are put at risk because of this. Workload for PS is already approaching unmanageable expectations. Please support building Haiku fire station, then a Waikapu and so on. They NEED to be there. Mahalo for your time.
Windward response time out of Paia alone is often delayed due to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Most of our local residents within that district reside in the Haiku area yet their life saving services are often delayed.
Please save lives and support bills 89, 90
and 91.
-Joshua Galvan
Firefighter I: Paia Station
Aloha,
Measured against the national four minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents live within four minutes of a fire station today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling the Maui Fire Department, would bring that to about two thirds. 14 more for 66%!
Yet, here we are…
Please support a fire station in Haʻikū.
Aloha Chair and Committee Members,
My name is Tanner Mosher. I am a Maui Fire Fighter and the Maui Division Chair for Local 1463. I am humbly reaching out to you to support these bills, 89, 90 and 91, and I’ll tell you why.
Every Fire Fighter in this county knows that minutes save lives.
When we are called to someone who is unresponsive and not breathing, the clock did not start when the tones dropped. It started before that. Everything we carry, all the training, all the equipment, only matters if we are standing there in time to use it. There is no tool on that apparatus that gives back the minutes we spent driving.
When we measure Maui County against the national four-minute response standard, fewer than a third of Maui County residents have a fire station within four minutes today. Fourteen more stations, roughly doubling this department, would bring that to about two-thirds coverage. That figure comes from mapping we did ourselves, measured over the road network rather than as a straight line, and weighted by where residents actually live. I ask you to think about that, please.
To me personally, Ha‘iku is not an isolated request. It is one of fourteen that are long overdue. Chief Ventura told this committee on July 29 that the department’s own coverage study named Ha‘iku among the places a station is needed. Our mapping reaches the same conclusion independently.
These three bills move the first of those fourteen. To me, lives are priceless, and response time should never be the reason we can’t save them. We appreciate the time this committee has already given this project, and we are glad to provide whatever else would be useful to your review.
Respectfully submitted,
Tanner Mosher
Maui Division Chair
Local 1463