Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1607 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve the response times of water safety personnel to life-threatening incidents by amending the definition of "authorized emergency vehicle" in the statewide traffic code to include ocean safety vehicles.

The Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division of the City and County of Honolulu and the Hawaii Lifeguard Association testified in support of this measure. The Department of Transportation (DOT) testified in support of the intent of this measure.

Currently, lifeguards respond to a variety of aquatic situations that require rapid response, including drownings, near drownings, rescues, search and recovery operations, and co-response cases with emergency medical services paramedics. Vehicles used by lifeguards are equipped with emergency rescue equipment, radios, and visual and audible warning devices. Although City and County of Honolulu lifeguards are currently afforded the ability to respond as emergency vehicles through county ordinance, amending the Statewide Traffic Code will allow other counties to follow suit and enhance search and rescue operations statewide.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised by DOT and has amended this bill by:

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