Dry grass poses hazardTo the Forum

Several days ago while driving on the Koloa Bypass road I saw the new fire

department pumper hooked to a hydrant ejecting a substantial jet of water in a

test exercise. It was very impressive.

Looking back away to the west, I saw

a large field of grass where there used to be sugar cane. I wondered how

effective the pumper would be if that grass, now dry but certainly to become

dryer as the rains stop for the summer, were to catch fire.

There are now a

great many acres of drying grass in the Koloa-Po’ipu area. It would seem to me

that it is someone’s responsibility to cut the grass and remove it to protect

the adjacent properties. There are now many valuable homes in real potential

danger.

The area on the south side of Po’ipu road from the stream to the

road to the Sheraton is another area of real danger.

Perhaps in more real

danger is the Koloa Post Office. There is dry grass over 6 feet high, within 10

feet of its westerly wall. Nobody seems to care or accept responsibility for

this hazard.

With the increase in traffic in Koloa, with people discarding

cigarettes as they drive by, igniting a fire seems a real possibility. The

density and heighth of the grass pose a very real fire hazard.

It would

seem to me that the responsible county government would see to it that the

owners of property on which dry grass is clearly a fire hazard would make sure

that the hazard is removed. It is their responsibility to protect the people

they were elected to serve.

John B. Dillon, M.D.