City says moving EMS HQ saves money and lives

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The City is looking to relocate its emergency services headquarters, a move that could cost nearly $6 million. But officials said it will actually save money and improve life-saving services.

The City’s Honolulu Emergency Services Department wants to move its administration facility to Dillingham Boulevard, where the Blood Bank of Hawaii sits. The department’s director said they could use the extra space.

“There’s a lot of square feet there’s a lot of parking so we would probably base two ambulances out of that facility and possibly even a paramedic rapid response vehicle right there at that facility as well as having the second floor as admin space,” Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Dr. James Ireland.

Ireland said the move will also save city taxpayers money right now. The City pays $700,000 in rent a year for the current facility near the airport.

Ireland said the site is also more centrally located to the busiest areas for emergency calls, which is urban Honolulu. EMS calls for the five ambulance stations in the area each gets 600 to 700 calls a month.

So Ireland is also asking the City Council for approval to add an extra ambulance station in Kalihi and one in Kakaako.

“We’ve really identified the downtown area and really from the airport to Kahala as a very, very high call volume region of Oahu,” said Ireland. “So adding those two extra ambulances, even if it’s just for 12 hours a day, will really improve response times.”

The city has actually been trying for years to acquire at least part of the Blood Bank property because it was needed for the rail project. Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the agency in charge of the Honolulu rail, filed a lawsuit against the Blood Bank which is still pending.

The CEO of the Blood Bank told us on Monday that she is aware of the City’s interest in purchasing the site and is in discussions.

KHON2 News reached out to the City Council’s Budget Committee Chair Radiant Cordero, who is in favor of releasing the funds.

In a statement, she said, “Both the City Administration and Council agree that the investment in the City’s EMS division is a priority, which is why I am supporting the allocation of funds towards the purchase of land.”