By Ian Bauer
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
HONOLULU 鈥� The Honolulu Emergency Services Department held something akin to an outdoor car show at Keehi Lagoon Beach Park on Tuesday morning.
In a line that stretched the length of one of the park鈥檚 parking lots, the city showed off 16 new or newly refurbished ambulances鈥攏amely, 14 Emergency Medical Serv ices rigs and two Crisis Outreach Engagement and Response Sprinter vans鈥攎eant to respond to a myriad of lifesaving emergencies and medical care incidents across Oahu, on a 24 /7 basis.
Most of the ambulances on display featured placards鈥斺�淢akiki, 鈥� 鈥淜ahuku, 鈥� 鈥淜ailua 鈥� and 鈥淗awaii Kai, 鈥� among others鈥攖hat denoted their respective areas of service on the island.
The department also showed off its first-ever outfitted AmbuBus鈥攄eemed a state-of-the-art mass casualty vehicle that can treat and transport multiple patients at a time.
Mayor Rick Blan giardi, HESD Director Dr. Jim Ireland, three Honolulu City Council members and dozens of city EMS and CORE personnel were in attendance.
鈥淭oday is a monumentous day for us, and I still can鈥檛 believe, really, what I鈥檓 seeing, 鈥� Ireland told those gathered. 鈥淲hen I drove in I knew the numbers, I knew what we had purchased, but to just see this ; we鈥檝e never had a purchase this big, or an acquisition.鈥�
He said that two years ago, 鈥渨hen this kind of started, I wasn鈥檛 even sure we were going to be able to get one ambulance.鈥�
鈥淲e were coming out of COVID, there were supply chain issues, there were no chassis available, some chip was missing 鈥� all these factors were against us, 鈥� he added.
In spite of the difficulties, Ireland claimed the city put together a procurement package that includes the purchase of six new ambulances and eight remounted rigs.
鈥淎nd these are existing boxes that for about half the price of a new ambulance, we were able to pick up and drop on a brand-new chassis, relieving an ambulance that might have been in excess of 300, 000 miles, at the end of its service life, 鈥� he said. 鈥淚nstead of just auctioning it off, sending it off, putting it somewhere, we were able to remount that, get more ambulances for our dollar, save the taxpayers some money but, at the same time, give our teams the absolute best that they deserve and need to take care of people.鈥�
The new fleet includes four-wheel drive ambulances, too.
鈥淚 believe Kahuku and Waialua are getting four-wheel drive, 鈥� Ireland said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 encourage four-wheel driving per se, but if they get into a muddy or sandy environment, that will help them kind of get out of that.鈥�
CORE鈥檚 two Sprinter vans will help the group鈥檚 effort to provide medical and social services to Oahu鈥檚 homeless population, he said.
HESD鈥檚 director related how CORE鈥檚 vans replaced an old 911 ambulance鈥攄ubbed 鈥�8080, 鈥� based on its city and county license plate number鈥攖hat racked up 330, 000 miles.
鈥淚t took us through up until maybe just a couple of weeks ago, 鈥� Ireland said. 鈥淎nd then we finally retired 8080, and we got these two new Sprinter vans for the CORE team.鈥�
He added that he was 鈥渉appy to report 8080 is scheduled to be one of our next remounts.鈥�
鈥淏ecause as many ambulances as this is鈥�14 plus the two CORE鈥攚e鈥檙e getting four more remounts in three months, 鈥� he announced. 鈥淭hree to six months after that, we鈥檙e getting four brand-new ambulances. So our entire EMS fleet for Oahu will be under a year old within about six months or so.鈥�
Blangiardi said the city鈥檚 latest ambulance procurement was a 鈥渉istoric day.鈥�
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 really proud of is the capability this gives our city, 鈥� the mayor added. 鈥淲hen we talk in terms of public safety and the concerns that people have, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a more chilling sentence that I hope never to really have to utter again, I鈥檝e done once before, but which is when you say, 鈥楥all an ambulance.鈥欌��
Later, Kahu Brutus La Benz performed a traditional Hawaiian blessing on the EMS vehicles, which involved sprinkling rainwater he鈥檇 collected at his Moiliili home on the ambulance rigs and their respective crews. The kahu also highlighted the efforts of the city鈥檚 EMS and CORE personnel.
鈥淵ou folks are the first ones to respond to our loved ones, 鈥� La Benz said.
Out of 14 EMS ambulances, six new ones cost about $377, 000 each. The eight refurbished and remounted rigs cost about $250, 000 each. The CORE Sprinter vans cost $304, 347 each, while the AmbuBus cost $650, 000, EMS officials said.
The total cost for the new fleet is over $5.5 million, officials said.
At the event, EMS Chief of Operations Jeff Zuckernick told the Honolulu Star -Advertiser that refurbishing old ambulances鈥攚ith many reaching 250, 000 to 350, 000 miles鈥攃an save taxpayers about $120, 000 per rig, 鈥渨hich means then we can purchase more ambulances.鈥�
鈥淥ur fleet was well past its due date, and this comes as a blessing, 鈥� he said, adding that city and county ambulances typically last six to eight years, though some can reach 10 years old 鈥渁t the extreme.鈥�
Besides these new ambulances, Zuckernick said there are more city ambulances in service. 鈥淭here鈥檚 23 ambulances in service during the daytime, 21 ambulances at night, 鈥� he explained. 鈥淲e have a rapid-response vehicle 鈥� that鈥檚 during the daytime. We have four district chiefs that are always running calls, too.鈥�
鈥淪o these (new ) ambulances are mostly going to replace the 23 ambulances that are on the road right now, 鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd then the 23 that are on the road right now will go into reliever or backup status.鈥�
The city, according to Zuckernick, ships its old ambulances to in Washington state. There the company remounts the vehicles鈥� boxes鈥攖he portion of the ambulance containing medical equipment, stretchers and first aid supplies鈥攖hen ships the completed vehicle back to Oahu.
鈥淔our are on the way right now, 鈥� he added, 鈥渁nd we have budgeted eight more ambulances next year.鈥�
Ireland, whose Council renomination in April to a second four-year term as head of HESD, which includes the paramedics division, initially faced months of vocal opposition.
Opponents to Ireland鈥檚 appointment鈥攍argely former EMS workers鈥攍eveled complaints and allegations about low morale, chronic understaffing, employee favoritism and frequent resignations during his directorship that allegedly affected the timely response of ambulances to emergencies on Oahu.
But at the Council鈥檚 April 16 meeting, Ireland told the panel his continued leadership at EMS would improve and advance the paramedic service well into the city鈥檚 future. He said that work included purchasing more ambulances to reduce lengthy response times to 911 calls.
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