KAILUA-KONA — Seven Hawaii Fire Department personnel will be honored Saturday during the 19th annual Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation Awards Dinner and Fundraiser.
KAILUA-KONA — Seven Hawaii Fire Department personnel will be honored Saturday during the 19th annual Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation Awards Dinner and Fundraiser.
The seven participated in three different lifesaving events during the past year — bold rescues that meant those families would not have to grieve.
“Which I think is huge,” said Laura Mallery-Sayre.
She and her husband, Frank Sayre, began the foundation to thank Fire Department personnel for risking their lives recovering the body of their son, Daniel, who fell 500 feet in a 1997 hiking accident in North Kohala’s Pololu Valley.
The foundation has had years of success raising funds and providing equipment to the department. But the mission is still not done. This year’s wish list is the most extensive yet, said Mallery-Sayre, with $81,000 on the list.
“Equipment wears out. There’s a lot of wear and tear,” she said.
New equipment, such as another water- and shatter-proof communication system for the water rescue teams, is needed. But refurbishing the rescue boat based in Kailua-Kona is the top priority.
“That boat goes out all the time,” Mallery-Sayre said.
Beyond securing equipment for the department, the foundation also provides training as county costs have spiked because of multiple retirements leading to larger recruit classes, Mallery-Sayre said.
The Saturday’s awards dinner and fundraiser is an opportunity to meet and honor Big Island firefighters and lifeguards.
“They are always rushing in when we are rushing out,” said Mallery-Sayre.
The event starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Fairmont Orchid with a silent auction. The dinner and awards begin at 6 p.m.
Single adult tickets cost $110 but prices range on a number of options. Registration is due by Thursday and can be completed at www.danielsayrefoundation.org.
The honorees
• Acting Fire Rescue Specialist Lui Sales
• Fire Equipment Operator James Wilson
• Fire Rescue Specialist Chad Chun Fat
• Fire Equipment Operator Michael Akau
• Fire Equipment Operator Don Teramoto
• Water Safety Officer I Ryan McGuckin
• Water Safety Officer II Anton Finley