CNRH's Federal Fire Department Partners with the City of Honolulu

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Robert Stirrup, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

HONOLULU (NNS) -- The commander of Navy Region Hawaii (CNRH) and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, and the mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, signed a memorandum of understanding for a mutual aid emergency medical service (EMS) June 28.

The agreement signed by Rear Adm. Dixon Smith and Mayor Mufi Hannemann was between CNRH's Federal Fire Department (FFD) and the city and county of Honolulu's EMS division at Honolulu Hale in Honolulu.

The mutual aid agreement will permit the city and CNRH's FFD to assist one another to provide coordinated and enhanced emergency care for military and civilian communities.

The agreement will also provide an opportunity for the two organizations to train together and share resources.

"I am very proud of the FFD for initiating this mutual aid agreement, and I appreciate the city of Honolulu for joining this partnership on behalf of our service members, civilians and families," said Smith. "We look forward to working with the city in continuing to provide safe, effective and efficient care."

Hannemann talked about the importance of CNRH's FFD and the city's EMS division's partnership.

"This mutual aid agreement allows the city and the Navy to support each other in providing valuable and proficient pre-hospital care to those in need," stated Hannemann. "It is partnerships like these that make it possible for the city to continually ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community."

FFD Fire Chief Glenn de Laura noted the significance of the memorandum of understanding agreement.

"The memorandum of understanding will give flexibility to a coordinated response between agencies, and it will also enhance response times while providing proper emergency medical care to both military and civilians," de Laura said.

CNRH's FFD is a multi-service organization that provides comprehensive fire and emergency services to Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard installations around the island of Oahu.

Honolulu's EMS division, provides all emergency ambulance services on the island of Oahu.