Oliveira to bid farewell to Civil Defense

The soothing voice of Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira is leaving the airwaves.

Oliveira, 54, announced his retirement effective May 1.

After being thrown tsunamis, hurricanes, lava flows and dengue fever during the past three years, Oliveira — a former fire chief — said Wednesday “the timing is right” to try to retire again.

Oliveira has been attempting to retire for months, he said, adding now that there’s a pause in the county’s recent emergencies, it’s time to step down. Oliveira said he’s willing to volunteer during the transition to help the new administrator get up to speed.

“I’ve been discussing this with the mayor for some time,” Oliveira said. “I don’t want to create any impression that there will be any void with the public’s protection.”

Oliveira said he has no interest in another county position, nor will he be running for mayor.

It’s been a busy three years.

Hurricanes Iselle, Julio and Ana threatened Hawaii Island in 2014, with Iselle the strongest tropical storm to land here in recorded history, causing $79.2 million in damage statewide and killing one person on Kauai from flooding.

Meanwhile, the June 27, 2014, lava flow from Pu‘u ‘O‘o picked up speed and threatened to cut off Puna’s access to the rest of the island. Oliveira and his crew spent arduous weeks trying to divert the flow, working with other agencies to build emergency roads and conducting weekly community meetings and daily press briefings to keep the community informed.

Also in 2014, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Chile triggered a tsunami advisory for the island, putting Civil Defense on alert. The feared tsunami didn’t materialize.

Oliveira created a tsunami awareness day fair in 2014, bringing representatives from the Red Cross, the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster East Hawaii Chapter, Community Emergency Response Team, Hawaii State Civil Defense, the International Tsunami Information Center, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Neighborhood Watch and members of the U.S. Army National Guard.

Then, in late 2015, a dengue fever outbreak began that infected 263 people before tapering off earlier this month. That sent Oliveira and his team out into neighborhoods, removing standing water, spraying for mosquitoes and educating the public about how to “fight the bite.”

This will be Oliveira’s second retirement. He retired in 2011 after nine years as fire chief, and then in January 2013 came out of retirement to lead Civil Defense, replacing Ben Fuata, a 22-year military veteran who served just eight months.

Mayor Billy Kenoi, who has sole hiring authority for the non-Cabinet-level position, said at the time that Fuata submitted his resignation because the demands of the 24/7 job were having a negative impact on his health and family life.

Oliveira’s been putting in the hours as well.

Last year, he was the third-highest paid county employee, earning up to $146,489 in salary and overtime in a position that has a starting salary of $68,388, according to a report obtained from the county Department of Human Resources. The department provided ranges for salaries and overtime, rather than the exact amount.

In comparison, the mayor made $132,000.

Oliveira said he wanted to give a new Civil Defense administrator time to acclimate to the position before a new mayoral administration comes in the end of this year.

“We feel very fortunate that someone of Darryl’s caliber and experience will fill that pivotal role,” Kenoi said when naming him to the position.

Kenoi could not be reached by press time Wednesday for further comment.

Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.