Posted on: Monday, May 10, 2004

Firefighters' benefit race to honor air crew

Advertiser Staff

HILO, Hawai'i — The Hawai'i County Fire Department's Fourth Annual EMS 5K Family Run/2-Mile Walk is being dedicated to the three air ambulance crew members who died in a plane crash this year.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Hawai'i Bone Marrow Registry and will also help a 3-year-old leukemia patient who is the son of a county firefighter.

The May 22 run-walk will honor paramedics Mandy Shiraki and Danny Villiaros and pilot Ron Laubacher. The three were killed in January when their Hawai'i Air Ambulance plane crashed near Laupahoehoe as the crew was headed for Hilo Medical Center to evacuate a patient.

Runners will begin at Lili'uokalani Park and Gardens in Hilo at 8:30 a.m. and follow the Bayfront Highway partway around Hilo Bay before retracing the route back to the park. The entrance fee is $20 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for children ages 10 or younger. Participants must register by Friday to guarantee a special commemorative T-shirt honoring the air ambulance crew.

Registration forms are available at Spencer Health and Fitness Center, any district fire station or at the Fire Administration office in the County Building in Hilo. For information or a registration application, call (808) 961-8297 during business hours.

Awards and prizes will be distributed after the run, and events and displays will continue throughout the day.

The run is being held in conjunction with Emergency Medical Services Week, a national event to publicize safety and honor the crews that provide life-saving services. Last year Big Island Emergency Medical Services Division crews responded to 12,276 calls for assistance.