Used rescue vehicles from Honolulu helping to replenish Big Island fleet

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii County first responders now have more rescue vehicles to help replenish their aging reserve fleet — thanks to their counterparts on Oahu.

Four Honolulu ambulances and three Honolulu fire trucks were sent to the Big Island this month.

The ambulances were all purchased before 2015 and have about 300,000 miles on them.

They are no longer part of the 21 vehicles responding to Oahu 911 calls.

“These are backup ambulances in case one of the frontline ones goes in for maintenance,” said Dr. Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Services.

The ambulances had the county seals covered using blue tape prior to their departure.

The rigs are headed to Hawaii Island as the county sees a steady rise in the number of calls for service — a trend that started with the pandemic.

Through September of this year, rescue and EMS calls totaled 16,732.

The same time last year, that was 15,956.

Through September 2021, it was 14,554 calls on Hawaii island, which currently has 16 ambulances.

The county is working to purchase new rigs using a one time allowance of $1.7M from the Department of Health.

The hand-me-downs from Honolulu are in better condition than the reserve units on Hawaii island, according to a county spokesman.

In a statement the spokesman said they were grateful for the donated equipment to “bolster their aging fleet.” The reserves can be used during a major disaster or mass casualty event.

Honolulu also donates out of service ambulances to Kapiolani Community College for recruits to learn on and to other educational agencies.

Some can be auctioned off with the money going into the general fund.

“We really try to make use and not waste any of our surplus ambulances that are no longer in the reliever pool,” Ireland said.

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