Pearlridge to kokua city safety initiative

By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Pearlridge Center will purchase more than $200,000 in safety equipment for the city's public safety and emergency services departments as part of a community and emergency preparedness initiative that stemmed from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The "Building a Better Community, Together," program started yesterday and will provide Honolulu's Fire, Police, Civil Defense and Emergency Services departments with specialized equipment that could be used in the event of a biological or chemical attack or if victims were trapped in a collapsed building.

Money raised over the next 15 months will be used to purchase the equipment.

For the next three months, all fares collected from the Pearlridge Skycab, a monorail that shoppers can ride for 50 cents between the center's Uptown and Downtown, will go toward the program.

From October to December 2003, 50 percent of the fares will be donated.

Approximately 1 million people ride the Pearlridge Skycab each year, said Marty Lastner, general manager of Pearlridge Center.

"We kept searching for a long-term plan, an enduring project," Lastner said. "We're on an island, and you can't depend on anyone else to give you immediate help if a crisis occurred," he said. "You have to be ready, so we decided to think of ways that can make the community better and safer."

The equipment includes a $35,000 detoxification foam and dispensing unit for use during a biological attack for the city's Emergency Medical Services, 40 portable defibrillators for the HPD, confined-space rescue equipment for the Fire Department and a hand-held radio system for O'ahu Civil Defense, said Carol Costa, city spokeswoman.

Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi said he was surprised when Pearlridge officials contacted him after the attacks. "We're very grateful to receive anything at all, especially from a ... company," Leonardi said.

Costa said she hopes other companies will consider donations to the city. "Certainly we are in tight budget times, and we have limited tax money," Costa said. "When Pearlridge came to us and asked to partner with us it was great news. We hope other corporates will follow their lead."