Allows counties to enact ordinances to permit the use of motorcycles operated by emergency rescue workers to respond to emergency rescue calls, in addition to any other type of vehicle that is otherwise deemed appropriate as a response vehicle by each county.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in emergencies, which often are matters of life-and-death, response time is critical. The average response time to rescue calls in some of the most congested cities is about fifteen minutes -- and longer during rush hours. Rescue workers in the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and Malaysia, as well as some smaller cities in the United States, are already authorized to ride motorcycles when responding to rescue emergencies. The Miami-Dade county fire rescue department is believed to be the first major United States metropolitan area to authorize the use of motorcycles when responding to emergency rescue calls.

The purpose of this Act is to allow the use of motorcycles to respond to emergency rescue calls.

SECTION 2. Chapter 46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§46- Emergency rescue; use of motorcycles permitted. Any other provision of the law notwithstanding, the council of each county may enact ordinances to permit the use of motorcycles operated by emergency rescue workers to respond to emergency rescue calls, in addition to any other type of vehicle that is otherwise deemed appropriate as a response vehicle by each county."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.