Honolulu Fire Chief Kenneth G. Silva left for a Las Vegas vacation 13 hours after earthquakes hit the state Sunday morning.

Silva's wife is attending a dental conference in Las Vegas and he said he had planned for some time to tag along.

"If there was anything that required my attention, there is nothing that could make me leave," said Silva yesterday by phone from Las Vegas. "I would never leave my children or my community if I thought there was something that needed my attention. I told my chiefs, 'If you need me, I'm just a phone call away and I'll be on a plane.' "

Silva said he made all the necessary checks and made sure the department's emergency response plan was in motion and working properly. He said he also called the Hawai'i County Fire Department twice to offer assistance. There was little damage and no serious injuries on O'ahu.

The department operated at normal Sunday staffing levels and did not call in extra staff, fire officials said.

Deputy Chief Alvin Tomita was in the city's Emergency Operating Center all day and most of the night, Silva said, and another member of the department's management staff was at the Hawaiian Electric Co. emergency center until the lights came back on.

Bill Brennan, spokesman for Mayor Mufi Hannemann, said Silva would have been asked to stay in town if he had been needed.

"If the mayor felt the need to have the chief be there, he would have told him to cancel his vacation," said Brennan. "I don't think the mayor felt it was necessary."

The mayor was in Korea during the earthquake but cut his trip short to return to Honolulu.

Silva was at home with his wife and two children drinking coffee and reading the newspaper when the first quake hit and the lights went out, he said. He said when he contacted the department's communications center, he was told there was a high volume of calls coming from people stuck in elevators.

Silva said he then began contacting the department's five battalion chiefs to check on conditions around the island while also requesting information from state and O'ahu Civil Defense.

Throughout the day, Silva and his staff monitored emergency calls and kept in contact with other agencies to see if they needed anything from the Fire Department.

Silva said he wasn't positive he'd join his wife until shortly before they left for the airport.

"I made the decision that our community was fine and safe," he said.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.