Donna Maiava, the department's Emergency Medical Services chief, yesterday said she has been assured that the final piece in the puzzle — the completion of landing-zone protocol and safety training for Maui police officers — will be completed in time to launch the service.

The government-subsidized helicopter, which will serve Maui, Lana'i and Moloka'i, will be stationed at Kahului Airport, with paramedics at Kula Fire Station and a backup crew in Wailea. It will be the first air ambulance to serve the county since a private firm, Mercy Air, left the islands in the mid-'90s, saying there wasn't enough business to support the service.

Most people thought the air ambulance was good to go when county and state officials held a blessing for the helicopter at the Kula Ball Field Aug. 27.

"That's what I thought," said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, who spoke at the blessing.

But apparently there was still much work to be done.

The Health Department didn't finalize the flight protocols, or procedures, until early last week, and the project's Certificate of Need — the state-mandated document authorizing such service — was issued by the state Health Planning & Development Agency on Sept. 9.

While the insurance issue was cleared just this Tuesday, the police training remains outstanding.

"We'll take our share of the blame on the protocols, but it's not just the Department of Health," Maiava said. "The police were fully aware that training had to be done."

Deputy Police Chief Kekuhaupio Akana said a "communications disconnect" and other obstacles prevented all of the department's front-line officers from receiving the landing-zone training. Arakawa said many people and agencies have been working on the project, and that the training "slipped through the cracks."

"There are a lot of moving parts that have to be worked on, and everyone's doing their best," he said.

Curt Morimoto, Maui operations manager with contractor American Medical Response, said the paramedics who will man the helicopter are trained and eager to start. But Morimoto did say preparation was complicated by the fact that the flight protocols were not completed until last week. As it turns out, he said, the draft protocols were just about the same as the final ones, so there was no need for retraining.

Speedy Bailey, American Medical Response director of operations, said that if there were delays, it's only because of the large number of agencies and people involved in the project. The protocols, for example, took a long time to finalize because so many were consulted when the protocols were in their draft form.

Bailey said putting the air ambulance service together under the limitations of the authorizing legislation was a huge task accomplished in a relatively short time. "We're as anxious as anyone to get this in motion," he said.

Gov. Linda Lingle approved the air ambulance in June by signing a bill that granted the state immunity from lawsuits for not offering the service statewide. Lingle earlier vetoed legislation to initiate the program and refused to release money until the liability issue was resolved.

The state Legislature appropriated $611,500 for the air ambulance last year, and Maui County matched the amount.

But officials couldn't meet the July 1 start date, and other glitches — including engine troubles that delayed training — delayed the service even further.

Maiava said the contractors wouldn't be paid until the service starts.

During the past three weeks, only one call might have benefitted from the air service: A critical patient taken by ground ambulance from Hana to Wailuku.