Keeping cool and hydrated is always important — but more so if you’re a firefighter or rescuer working on the front line to save lives and property.
The Kailua-Kona Fire Station on Palani Road was the recipient of a commercial ice machine and filtered water dispenser thanks to a donor and $4,000 in contingency funds put forth by North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, who blessed the equipment, as well as a recently donated amphibious vessel, during a ceremony Thursday. The $5,000-plus worth of equipment will ensure firefighters have fresh, purified water as well as all the ice they need for emergency operations.
The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, contributed $12,500 to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation in the wake of the Mana Road fire last summer that burned over 40,000 acres in South Kohala between July 30 and mid-August 2021.
“They saved there house these folks lived in and they were just very grateful,” said Laura Mallery-Sayre, who co-founded the Daniel R. Sayre Foundation with husband, Frank Sayre, in 1997 following the death of their son in a hiking accident. “This is really a great step in the right direction and this is exactly why we have the foundation and people like Holeka and the community that look out for you guys.”
The funds are being split between the five stations that assisted in battling fire: Waimea, South Kohala, Kailua-Kona, Captain Cook, and Waikoloa. Mallery-Sayre said the foundation is also working with Kohala Councilman Tim Richards to install similar equipment at the South Kohala Fire Station.
Prior to having the new machines, firefighters at the Kailua-Kona Fire Station would make frequent trips to Walmart to refill water jugs and purchase ice. While medics, for the most part, use cold packs when treating patients, rescue personnel go through ice staying hydrated as well as ensuring drinks stay cold during lengthy rescue or firefighting operations.
“Every guy in this department has been out on a fire just dying, and something nice and cold — man it is the best tasting in the world,” said Hawaii Fire Department Chief Kazuo Todd, noting that having ice on hand at the station will be especially useful for water rescue operations in which personnel can expect to be stuck out on a boat in the hot sun for hours.
He continued, “We are eternally grateful for the effort you put together to make things happen like this. It makes a huge difference. We appreciate it.”
The ice machine and water filling station are the latest gifts to the department via the foundation that’s gifted over $10 million to the Hawaii Fire Department over the past 25 years. In the least year alone, five Big Dog tankers have been donated, in addition to a brush truck and other items.
“You make a difference. Every time you guys go out you make a difference in our lives, and our community really appreciates you and this is some of the ways to say ‘thank you,’” said Sayre.
The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation was established after a tragic accident brought to life the equipment needs not covered by the county budget for our fire department. In August 1997, Sayre and Mallery-Sayre’s 25-year-old son Danny Sayre hiked to the back of Pololu Valley, near Kapaloa Falls, to visit the place he called his “cathedral.” During the hike, he apparently slipped and fell 500 feet to the valley floor.
Sayre and Mallery-Sayre could only watch helplessly as multiple attempts to recover their son’s body failed. After 10 hours working in the densely forested location with tree limbs being shredded by the helicopter’s rotors, two firefighters courageously plummeted into the canyon to retrieve Danny’s body, steps from the falls.
The 25th annual Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation awards dinner and fundraiser is slated for Sept. 3. It will mark the first time the event has been held since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tax-deductible donations to support the purchase of much-needed lifesaving equipment and training for the Hawaii Fire Department can be made on the foundation’s website at DanielSayreFoundation.org or by mailing a check to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation P.O. Box 1285 Kailua-Kona, HI 96745.