Teens rescued after being stranded in a gulch, a man pulled from the rocks below a cliff pounded by surf, another man pulled from the ocean, lifeless, only to be revived by the quick actions of two water safety officers.
Seven heroes, no deaths.
These are the stories shared and celebrated Saturday night when the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation honored seven members of the Hawaii Fire Department for going “above and beyond the call of duty,” risking their lives to save others in 2015, during a gala Saturday at the Fairmont Orchid.
But if you asked those being honored, they’d say it’s just what they do.
“They say that we’re heroes,” said fire equipment operator James Wilson. who was among the honorees. “It’s just what we chose to do as a job.”
The foundation honored Wilson for his role in two rescues last year.
While Wilson said it was “great to be recognized,” that’s not what he’s after. Instead, Wilson took the opportunity to heap praise on the foundation honoring him and his colleagues.
“What the community doesn’t realize is the cost of a good rescue,” he said. “The Sayres absorb a lot of that.”
The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation was created by Laura Mallery-Sayre and Dr. Frank Sayre after the death of their son, Daniel.
The 25-year-old died during a hiking trip to the back of Pololu Valley near Kapoloa Falls on the north end of the Big Island.
Frank Sayre said the entire rescue team from Waiakea Fire Station spent close to 10 hours trying to get to Daniel 500 feet below on the valley floor with a helicopter.
At one point, the crew called the mission off, citing a lack of ropes long enough to get to the floor.
However, three men from the department volunteered to continue the mission and Daniel’s body was recovered.
Out of gratitude, the couple started the foundation in their son’s memory with the goal of garnering community support to assist the island’s rescue crews in ensuring they’re well-equipped to do their job.
And support them they have.
In the foundation’s 19 years, it’s raised more than $1 million from the community for the purchase of much needed equipment, covering everything from ropes and whistles to underwater communication systems and a public announcement system for Kahaluu Beach Park.
That equipment, Mallery-Sayre said, helps to ensure “people are rescued, not recovered.”
Throughout the night, fire officials repeatedly noted how equipment donated by the foundation played a pivotal role in saving lives as they recalled the daring missions rescuers took on.
Mallery-Sayre noted not a single one of the rescues higlighted Saturday ended in someone losing his or her life.
The foundation honored all of the men who assisted in these rescue efforts.
They included fire equipment operator Michael Akau, fire rescue specialist Chad Chun Fat, water safety officers Anton Finley and Ryan McGuckin, acting fire rescue specialist Lui Sales, Wilson and Don Teramoto, who took part in a rescue at Kalopa State Park.
Mallery-Sayre said she and her husband owe the foundation’s success to their supporters.
“The truth is, it’s not just Frank and I,” she said. “It’s our community.”
This year, said Mallery-Sayre, the foundation raised at least $81,000. That’s before proceeds from Saturday’s silent auction and other donations from the evening.
“It was exceptional,” Mallery-Sayre said about the gala. “Best event ever.”
Mallery-Sayre said that while the rescuers say they aren’t out for accolades, the community has a responsibility to honor its heroes.
She added that the community also has a role in supporting the Fire Department and rescue crews.
“They say it takes a community to raise a child,” Mallery-Sayre said. “I say it takes a community to save a child.”
Email Cameron Miculka at cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com.
