KAHULUI - Maui County Fire Chief Jeff Murray said he expects the department to operate more effectively, now that veteran firefighters have been promoted to fill a second battalion chief's position.
With the promotions last week of four new battalion chiefs - including three who will work rotating shifts to fill the second position - there will be two battalion chiefs on duty during each watch to share the responsibilities of overseeing the department's 19 fire companies at 14 stations on three islands.
"It's long overdue," said Murray, who pushed for funding for the new position when he was named fire chief last year. "The need was identified years ago. We finally got to that point to make it happen."
Previous fire chiefs also had advocated for the second position, which had been sought for eight years, according to a Maui County news release.
Stationed at the Napili Fire Station, the second battalion chief oversees fire companies at stations in West Maui and Wailuku and on Molokai and Lanai.
At the Kahului Fire Station, the battalion chief oversees fire companies for the rest of Maui, as well as rescue and hazardous materials crews.
But if either battalion chief responds with firefighters to a large fire or other emergency, the other one will be responsible for handling all other emergencies, Murray said.
So far, the new system has worked well, he said. "Everybody is working together."
Murray said he saw firsthand the need for a second battalion chief during times when he worked temporarily in the job. "It's chaotic at certain times," he said. "I think this will be much more effective."
The four newly promoted battalion chiefs - Karl Kubo, Derrick Arruda, James "Kimo" Kino and Valeriano Martin - were honored in a badge-pinning ceremony last week.
Kubo began his 28-year career in 1981 and was promoted to captain in 1990. He has worked at the Paia, Makawao, Lanai, Lahaina and Wailuku fire stations. He lives Upcountry and enjoys outdoor activities.
Arruda was hired in 1989 and has 20 years of service, working at the Lanai, Napili and Kahului fire stations. He has been a rescue captain since 2002. He and his wife, Lori, live in Kokomo with twin sons Justin and Jordan. Arruda enjoys fishing and surfing.
Kino was hired in 1989 and has 20 years of service at the Lanai, Paia, Hana, Wailea and Kahului fire stations. He has worked as a rescue captain, HazMat captain, training captain and most recently a fire captain at the Wailuku Fire Station.
He and his wife, June, live in Wailuku, and he enjoys surfing, paddling and spending time with his grandson. His son, Kaulana Kino, is a firefighter assigned to a HazMat crew in Kahului. James Kino's brother, John "Keoni" Kino, is a rescue captain with 23 years of service with the Honolulu Fire Department. The family firefighting tradition dates to Kino's great-great-grandfather, James Silas Lemon, who served in the elected position of fire chief of Honolulu's Volunteer Fire Department from 1874 to 1878.
Martin began his 19-year fire service career in 1990 with the Federal Fire Department in Honolulu and continued with the Honolulu Fire Department before transferring to Maui in 1999. He earned an associate degree in fire science from Honolulu Community College in 1991 and was promoted to captain in 2003. He worked at the Napili Fire Station before being promoted to fire inspector, then captain of the Fire Prevention Bureau. He and his wife, Kimberly, live in Kahului with their three children. He enjoys outdoor activities.
* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
