By Keone Kali, FirstNet Region 9 Lead

More than 80 public safety representatives from Hawaii joined the FirstNet team for the state’s Initial Consultation Meeting, which highlighted the ongoing threats Hawaii faces – from natural disasters to the challenges of being an island state with dramatic terrain and predominantly rural demographics. 

Hawaii Governor David Ige, who attended the morning of the first day of the consultation, emphasized that the consultation is an opportunity to come together to discuss building a network that will enable Hawaii responders to fulfill their public safety missions.  FirstNet is fortunate to have had his leadership, participation, and input.

City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa were also in attendance for the day and offered comments and insights to the proposed network and its potential impact in their respective counties.  Representatives of the other two counties Mayors’ staff were also in attendance and participated actively.  All of their comments emphasized the importance of collaboration in Hawaii.  Major General Arthur J. Logan, the Hawaii Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and the Hawaii Adjutant General, also welcomed the group and emphasized that the goal of the consultation is to provide FirstNet the information it needs to best understand Hawaii’s unique requirements.

A case study presented on the impact of Hurricane Iselle made it clear that the state and counties currently have many areas without commercial cellular coverage, and that there is considerable support for the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) to address some of the state’s coverage needs.

Use Case: Hurricane Iselle

Ford Fuchigami, Director of Hawaii Department of Transportation (HI DOT) and Captain Shannon Gilreath, the Captain of the Port for the United States Coast Guard (USCG), presented the first use case on the impact of port closures in response to Hurricane Iselle, which was one of the strongest storms to hit the Big Island in history.

Ninety-eight percent of goods shipped to Hawaii come through the ports, and Hawaii depends on the more than 2,100 containers of goods that enter the port each week to supply necessities to its population and visitors.  The HI DOT works with and collaborated with the USCG and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to plan for the port’s closure to protect the ships and cargo during the hurricane.  Although transportation and military officials also planned for the assessments that would be needed before reopening the port, it was not possible to pre-position the assessment equipment before the hurricane hit.  As a result, HI DOT and USCG officials needed to find a boat to drag in the sonar required to assess the waterways and reopen the port after the storm passed.  With the ingenuity of the DOT Administrator and the cooperation of the partners, a private boat was located and the port was cleared within hours, allowing vital operations to resume.

Use Cases: Hawaii Public Safety

To demonstrate the variety of needs throughout Hawaii, a representative from each county shared communications challenges and successes. Chief Robert Westerman of the Kauai Fire Department emphasized the importance of sharing and coordinating resources and stressed that FirstNet could be a key part of that.  Toby Clairmont, Director of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, told attendees that communications among healthcare providers, including blood banks, home health providers, hospice, long-term care facilities, test labs, and hospitals, is vital.  Cell towers and land mobile radio (LMR) have failed after catastrophic incidents.  FirstNet could help reinforce communications systems for these and other entities.

Davlynn Racadio, Communications Supervisor for the Maui Police Department, discussed a helicopter crash where improved data services could have markedly improved the response.  After the crash, one of the victims called for help from his cell phone, but did not know his location.  To find the crash site, responders had to drive around the suspected area with sirens blaring for 25 minutes until the caller indicated he heard the sirens and was found.

Deputy Chief Paul Ferreira of the Hawaii Police Department explained the daily challenges of maintaining communications with patrol officers through ‘hit and miss’ coverage.  The department sometimes relies on cell phone messaging because it is the only available communication method.  Captain Alan Nagata of the Honolulu Police Department shared an incident that involved the pursuit of a carjacker.  When officers pulled over the suspects, a gun battle ensued.  As a result, the call center was inundated with cell phone calls, which congested the network and prevented officers from using their cell phones.

Acting Chief Jason Redulla of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, explained how communications are mission critical for their work. He emphasized the need for a system that can work in valleys, mountains, and waterways.   The presenters stressed the need for FirstNet  to support communications for all agencies and all levels of government across this island state.

The second day of the consultation, which was a half-day session, was dedicated to the state’s data collection efforts.  General Logan closed out the consultation by emphasizing the importance of participating in the data collection effort since it will inform the recommendation the Adjutant General and the Statewide Interoperability Executive Board (SIEB) make to the governor for the state’s decision on FirstNet’s radio access network (RAN) plans.

FirstNet would like to thank Governor Ige and the County Mayors’ involvement in the consultation and the public safety stakeholders across many disciplines and levels of government for participating in the meeting.  It is always a pleasure to visit Hawaii, and FirstNet looks forward to our continued work together.

Thanks,
Keone