STAND. COM. REP. 727

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 1607

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1607, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to reduce the response time of water safety personnel to life-threatening incidents by including ocean safety vehicles in the definition of an "authorized emergency vehicle" which exempts them from certain traffic regulations when using the authorized audible and visual signals.

The Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division of the City and County of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association submitted testimony in support of this bill. The Department of Transportation testified in support of the intent of this measure. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) testified in opposition to this bill.

Currently, water safety officers of the City and County of Honolulu (C&C) operate a fleet of 16 emergency vehicles to respond to a variety of aquatic situations, including drownings, near-drownings, rescues, search and recovery operations, and co-response cases with emergency medical services paramedics and other members of the C&C's public safety team. Although C&C emergency vehicles have already been designated as authorized emergency vehicles under the Honolulu Revised Ordinances, this bill will apply to all counties in the State.

HPD has brought to your Committee's attention numerous situations that require police officers to exceed speed limits and disregard certain traffic regulations without their blue lights and sirens activated, such as clocking speeders, catching suspected drunk drivers, and responding to residential and holdup alarms.

Your Committee has amended this measure by exempting police officers from the requirement that the emergency vehicle must be using the authorized audible and visual signal when responding to an emergency call or fire alarm or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected law violator.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1607, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1607, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

____________________________

EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair