Public concerned about Leeward Coast phone gap

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer

In April, the harbor master at the Wai'anae Boat Harbor was notified of a missing diver in the water. William Aila spotted the diver's boat off Keawa'ula Bay near Ka'ena Point, but couldn't alert police on his cell phone because the 8-mile stretch between Ka'ena Point and Makaha lacks cellular service.

He was ordered by the guard at the gate to leave. "She said, 'Our policy is not to allow civilians to use the phone,' " Aila said. "I told her it was an emergency and she still said no."

In the end, Aila jumped into his truck and drove five miles to Makaha, where he was able to make a call on a cell phone. He also could have used the pay phone at Kea'au Beach Park, the only public telephone between Makaha and the western tip of O'ahu.

Although the diver was eventually rescued, Aila's experience highlights the concerns that Chrysanthea Morgan of the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board calls "an accident waiting to happen."

The area between Makaha and Ka'ena Point is mostly military and state reserve land. Although it is vast and virtually uninhabited, the coastline is heavily used by fishers, divers, surfers and other water enthusiasts.

Its isolation also can be dangerous.

"There have been accidents, shootings and beatings out there, and someone has to come all the way back to the pay phone at Kea'au Beach Park to call 911," said Aila.

Sherrie Coronas, public relations manager for Verizon Wireless, said cell phone service is not available beyond Makaha because it's difficult to put a repeater station antenna on conservation land toward Ka'ena Point, and service there is not economically feasible.

Myron Yamaki, who is in charge of telecommunications services for the Honolulu Police Department, said that patrol officers can communicate among themselves on point-to-point radios between Makaha and Kaena Point.

Jim Howe, chief of operations for Honolulu's Ocean Safety Division, said the three lifeguards stationed at Ka'ena Point State Park from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily have hand-held radios to contact central dispatch (as do lifeguards throughout O'ahu). "From there we can contact any emergency service — police, fire, Coast Guard, anyone."

Last chance: The public pay phone at Kea'au beach park is the last one westward to Ka'ena Point since the one at the Ka'ena beach park was taken out of service. Cellular phones don't work in the 8-mile stretch, either, leaving the public with few options in emergencies. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Still, HFD Capt. Richard Soo said point-to-point and dispatch communications may be of little value to people who have no way to place that first emergency call.

"The initial part of the 911 system is immediate notification," Soo said. "So if that's nonexistent in that 8-mile stretch from Ka'ena Point to Kea'au Beach Park, that would be a concern for any emergency response agency."

Jo Jordan, who chairs the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board's Parks and Recreation committee, said she had waged a frustrating two-year effort to have an emergency land-line phone installed between Makaha and Ka'ena Point.

"Right now there's no emergency communications available to the public past Kea'au Park," Jordan said. "If someone has a car wreck late at night, they're in deep trouble. It's pitch dark out there.

"People were concerned when there was only a pay phone at each end. They were saying, 'What if something happens and I'm in the middle?' Now they've removed the pay phone at Keawa'ula Bay."

Verizon says the pay phone at Ka'ena Point State Park was taken out three months ago because it was repeatedly vandalized. And lines to the pay phone, which they had not installed, were severely deteriorated and nearly impossible to maintain.

"We believe this area would be better served by an emergency call box that provides a direct connection to 911," said Ann Nishida, media relations manager for Verizon. "We are working closely with the Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide this service in the interest of public safety."

That's the only thing that concerned Leeward residents have ever asked for, Jordan said. She even contacted the military reservation at Makua, and was told the Army would allow a 911-only phone in the lighted area just outside its Makua fence, as long as it knew exactly where the phone would be placed.

For a year, DLNR has said it would send someone to take measurements at the Army fence line, but nothing has been done, Jordan said.

Dan Quinn, state parks administrator for the DLNR, said the department has asked Verizon what it would cost to restore the pay phone at Ka'ena Point State Park. The estimate, he said, was around $100,000.

"That's a little prohibitive," Quinn said, although he had not ruled out the idea. "We've got to explore that a little bit more."

Quinn said his department also had been in contact with the Army about Jordan's idea, but nothing had been resolved.

"There would be installation costs," he said. "Then there is a maintenance cost on those kinds of phones. There's no revenue generated by emergency phones."

But he said the idea seemed "doable."

Meanwhile, the Air Force has indicated civilians should not be denied access to the telephone at its Ka'ena Point tracking station in future emergencies.

"Security is a concern, but common sense dictates that we do all we can to help out local authorities in an emergency," said Major Kevin Lackey, commander at the station. "I'm going to make sure all our security personnel understand this."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8038.