Hawaii Island Fire Commission interviews six finalists for fire chief

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Island could soon have a new fire chief as the County Fire Commission interviews six finalists for the position.

The interviews began after being delayed last month because of Tropical Storm Nolo.

Four finalists have ties to the Hawaii Fire Department: Stacy Domingo, Garrett Kim, Melanie Keolanui and Daniel Volpe. The other two candidates, Michael Fine and Cole Thompson, are from California.

Thompson, a former battalion chief with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, said an outside perspective could help improve the department’s operations.

“I do know that sometimes from personal experience that sometimes a fresh look, a fresh pair of eyes on something can, and a small tweak here and a small tweak there can make all the difference when it comes to operational effectiveness and efficiency,” Thompson said.

Domingo, a battalion chief overseeing emergency communications, highlighted her more than 20 years with the department and her longtime ambition to become fire chief.

“Over 24 years ago, I sat in front of a panel and I was just hoping to get a position as a firefighter recruit. I sat in that position on that chair, three months pregnant with twins, but still believing that I had a seat at this table,” Domingo said. “During that interview, I was asked, where do you see yourself in this department? And audaciously, I said, I’m going to be the chief.”

Kim, a retired Hawaii Fire Department captain, said the department needs to prioritize people over equipment and facilities.

“That’s where we have failed as a department in the past, not just our department, but fire departments fire service wide, is that we spend too much money, time, and effort on our stuff, our equipment, our trucks, our station. And not enough time on what is the most important part, right, is the actual people,” Kim said.

Fine, a retired Ventura County fire captain, pointed to budget constraints and public perception as challenges facing the fire service.

“The hurdles that we’re seeing in the future, and present day are community perception of our services, as well as budget constraints, those are things that we need to navigate during hard times,” Fine said.

Keolanui, a battalion chief overseeing operations, said building trust and improving communication would be priorities.

“Building trust, communicating, being able to hear you and actually listen to what the district need and what we can do better,” Keolanui said.

Volpe, the department’s temporary fire chief for the past nine months, said he wants to continue in the position.

“Opportunities presents itself, I took that job because I believe in what we do, with all my heart,” Volpe said.

The commission plans to narrow the field to three finalists before selecting the island’s next fire chief.