LIHUE — Crowds flocking to North Shore beaches this holiday season have become a safety concern for fire department officials, who have requested funding for additional manpower to patrol Anini Beach Park.
Kauai Fire Department Deputy Chief Kilipaki Vaughan appeared before the County Council Wednesday to answer questions about a proposed draft bill that, if passed, would fund two full-time and one part-time ocean safety officer
positions at an annual cost of about $186,000.
The issue is basically one driven by supply and demand. Recreational beach activity on the North Shore is increasing with the onset of the winter season, but roads damaged by flooding earlier this year remain closed, leaving several popular beaches inaccessible to the vast majority of the tourist and local population.
With less room to spread out, crowds drawn by the season’s big waves and beautiful conditions are packing onto the remaining beaches.
“If you drive anywhere on the North Shore now, you just see all the cars,” Vaughan said.
The problem is particularly troublesome at Anini Beach, where the largest crowds have been gathering, and fire department officials feel that additional personnel are now needed to keep those crowds safe.
“This is a need for the fire department. This is a need for the Ocean Safety Bureau. This is a need for the community,” Vaughan said.
Right now, the Ocean Safety Bureau’s north roving patrol only “periodically visits” Anini Beach, according to a Nov. 7 memo sent by KFD Fire Chief Robert Westerman to Council Chair Mel Rapozo.
“With the busy holiday season and winter surf approaching, these beaches will become more hazardous,” the memo said, describing the initiative as an “important lifesaving operation.”
Councilmembers raised some questions regarding the cost and necessity of the request but seemed largely satisfied by the answers Vaughan provided. After a half-hour discussion, the council voted unanimously in favor of moving forward with the bill.
Rapozo said that the budget is always a concern but concluded, “With what has happened on the North Shore and the increased usage at Anini, we cannot not address that.”
— Caleb Loehrer
