If a set of bills in the Legislature continue on their present course, Makalei will have an advanced life support ambulance and personnel to fill a critical gap in emergency services in that fast-growing North Kona area.
The Makalei fire station was never equipped or staffed for ambulance services, and residents in need have had to wait for responses from fire stations that are eight miles and further away. But bills from both chambers that passed out of committees this week would remedy the situation.
House Bill 481, co-sponsored by state Rep. Nicole Lowen, D-Kailua-Kona, and Senate Bill 298, co-sponsored by state Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, Ka‘u, would fund the Makalei ambulance for operation during peak hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Makalei station, opened in 2013, fills the gap between the Kailua-Kona and Waikoloa stations in an area with 45,000 people, one of the fastest growing regions in the state, according to Hawaii County Fire Department Chief Darren Rosario. Standards set by the National Fire Protection Association dictate that EMS must respond within eight minutes for optimal deliver of care, Rosario said in testimony. But if the Kailua-Kona station ambulance is tied up on another call, the second nearest station is Keauhou, which is 15 minutes away, followed by Waikoloa, at 27 miles distance.
The increased response time, plus the 25 minutes needed to travel to Kona Community Hospital, puts patients in the Makalei area at a disadvantage, Rosario said.
Lowen said she is confident the bills will continue their forward movement, but the fate of the funding for the ambulance ultimately rests in conference committee when the House and Senate get together later on in the session to hash out a spending plan.
“I know we have the idea of tightening our belts,” Lowen said, “but it’s an issue of public health and safety, which is an essential service of government.”