HAPUNA — Ocean Safety Officers at the Hapuna Beach north lifeguard tower received a new rescue tool through a generous donation from The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation.
A new Honda ATV was gifted thanks to a donation to the foundation from Linda Jane Kelley Tuesday morning.
Kelley was able to look at the Hawaii County Fire Department’s wish list and chose the ATV.
“I’ve supported the Sayres since they started the foundation,” Kelley said. “ It’s rewarding to see where the donation goes. I love Hapuna Beach. It’s going to have a huge impact.”
Foundation co-founder Laura Mallery-Sayre said that the gift will make the lifeguards’ job more efficient and help save lives.
Paramedic Kyle Toma couldn’t agree more. He responded to a drowning at the beach last week. With the quad, rescuers were able to perform life saving CPR while transporting the victim to the ambulance. Toma said that it improves response time in those critical moments of a rescue.
And with Hapuna being the second busiest beach in the state for rescues, every moment counts.
The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation was created by Mallery-Sayre and her husband, Frank Sayre, after the death of their son, Danny, in 1997.
The 25-year-old died during a hiking trip to the back of Pololu Valley near Kapaloa Falls. Fire crews spent close to 10 hours trying recover Danny, who fell 500 feet to the valley floor.
In the past 20 years, the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation has raised $1.76 million to help Hawaii Island’s emergency responders get the equipment they need to do their job, including the Ocean Safety Division.
Speaking of the equipment and training provided to HFD through the foundation Mallery-Sayre said, “Our island is the envy of every other islands’ department.”
Mahalo to the Linda Kelley and the Sayre family. Helping our first responders save lives is a great way to honor Danny’s memory.