FIRST DUE: Hawaii County Fire- Engine 19
First Due to a volcano!
| Volcano is not
only the name of the town that Hawaii County Engine 19 serves- there is an
actual active volcano just down the road from quarters!
Station 19, housing Engine and Medic 19, is located on Crater Rim Drive in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. Engine 19 is a 2006 Pierce Dash with a 1500 gpm pump and 1000-gallon tank. Station 19 responds to about 1,000 calls per year, more than half being medical responses. |
 Hawaii County Engine 19 - 2006 Pierce Dash |
| The
Hawaii County Fire Department serves the Big Island of Hawaii with a fleet
of 19 engines, 1 truck, 9 tankers and an assortment of special units. The
department’s 20 full-time stations are supplemental by more than two dozen
volunteer companies and cover 4,028 square miles of tropical paradise. The
department is currently expecting the delivery of two new heavy rescues for
assignment to the Kona and Waiakea stations. A new Pierce tower ladder is
also expected shortly.
Station 19’s nearest 2nd due company, Hawaii Fire Department Station 11, is located some 20 miles away in Pahala. Emergency response in Engine 19’s district may be supported by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park fire crew, which operates a tanker and brush truck and volunteer companies in the town of Volcano, which also operate a tanker and brush truck. Volcanoes National Park spans 505 square-miles of lava rock, wilderness, black sand beaches and two of the world’s most active volcanoes- Kilauea and Puu O’O. The park ranges from sea level to 13,677 feet above. Company 19’s district encompasses seven ecological life zones. Personnel are aware that they may be responding to calls in Seacoast, Lowland, Mid-elevation lowland, Mid-elevation Woodland, Rain Forest, Upland Forest, Sub-Alpine or Alpine (sub-freezing) environments. These life zones are home to several endangered animal and plant species unique to Hawaii. Volcanic zones are earthquake prone and hikers fall victim to sharp lava rock, falls into fissures, steam vents or from cliffs. The Hawaii County Fire Department encourages physical fitness. Station 19 members often walk five to ten miles per shift and have a full array of exercise equipment available in quarters. The park
averages over 1 million visitors a year, but attendance will spike when the
volcanoes are erupting. When volcanic activity is high, the park can average
a daily attendance of 10,000, with traffic backing up for miles on the only
road in and out of the park. The U.S. Geological Survey, National Park
Service and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitor and assess volcanic hazards
and conditions. The National Park Service controls the day-to-day operations
of the park, which includes closures. |
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| On March 19, 2008, a small explosion below the Halemaumau crater, the first explosive event since 1924, triggered the beginning of an eruption in an area dormant since 1982. The eruption, which did not release any lava, caused increased levels of sulfur dioxide and a large plume of smoke and gas from the crater. Engine 19 is stationed just ¼-mile from the edge of this crater, with the actual vent about 5 miles from that point. The elevated readings of sulfur dioxide caused periodic evacuations and closings of the park. |  The Halemaumau crater is just a short distance from the quarters of Engine 19 and is currently active. |
| Due
to the recent eruption, Hawaii County Fire assigned an Assistant Chief to
the Island’s Civil Defense Agency to monitor conditions at the park. Hawaii
County Fire has also been working with the National Guard in using
helicopters to measure the levels of sulfur dioxide venting from the crater.
Predicting volcanic eruptions is not an exact science. As the locals will tell you, activity is controlled by Pele, the Fire Goddess of the Pacific, who is not someone you would want to anger. Links: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8355262 Appreciation is extended to Captain George Van Gieson, Station Commander of the Volcano Fire Station.
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