Updated at 4:51 p.m., Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Mayor renames, elevates Civil Defense
Advertiser Staff
O'ahu Civil Defense Agency will be replaced by a city department called the Department of Emergency Management under a proposal by Mayor Mufi Hannemann.Hannemann today told reporters at a news conference that the elevation will help give the agency its proper seat at the table with other Cabinet members. He said the move will add a handful of positions and take the annual budget from $900,000 to a little more than $1 million.
But he said the change is needed since modern life calls for the agency to respond to a variety of emergencies that range from tsunami alerts, power outages, hurricanes and terrorism threats.
"We take public safety very seriously," Hannemann said.
Although the change may seem small, he said it is significant in giving those who work in disaster relief the recognition they need.
He said the emergency workers need to work with others as first responders and more. "We also have to be first preventers," he said.
Hannemann said he is asking the City Council to make the change to reflect the post-Sept. 11 world. The agency is run by an administrator who will be a director with civil service protection — as required by state law — rather than a political appointee like the other Cabinet members.
