Airports

KOA ARFF Unite with Air Force Reserves for Patriot Palm Exercise Patriot Palm Exercise By: Rae Nguyen

Photos courtesy of Senior Airman Micah Coate

The Air Force’s 452nd Contingency Response Squadron team up with KOA’s ARFF to participate in emergency readiness exercise last January.

Dubbed Patriot Palm, the yearly exercise included meetings, inspections and C-17 touch and goes at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport.

“Patriot Palm is designed to test the ability of the Air Force Reserve

Contingency forces to respond in rapid fashion to humanitarian and/or natural disasters,” explained Senior Master Sgt. Chris Alcala.

In coordination with the FAA tower, military and ARFF vehicles were shuttled into two C-17 cargo planes at Bravo South of KOA’s single runway.

Two other teams had also conducted their exercise at the same time at diff erent locations including Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and John Rodgers

Airport. Locations diff er each year.

KOA was happy to accommodate and look forward to hosting in the coming years.

Airports

OGG Firefi ghter Dane Walin Recognized for Honesty By: Brian Kamimoto

Recently graduated Airport Firefi ghter Dane Walin was “just doing the right thing.”

it,” said Walin. “My mother and father instilled in me good values. I thought it could’ve been someone who really needed the money and I was happy to do

Luckily for Dave Kannewurf, Walin did the right thing.

Kannewurf had just lost $300 cash at a bank parking lot. Walin - believing that whoever lost it would eventually return to the bank to look for the money - waited for that someone to return. It didn’t take more than 30 minutes before Kannewurf returned to the bank and inquired if anyone had returned any money.

After answering a few questions, Kannewurf was soon reunited with his lost money.

Kannewurf was so impressed with Walin’s honesty that he called Maui District Fire Chief Scott Pires to express his gratitude and thanks.

Walin, who is assigned to Red shift, was also chosen as the Most Outstanding Recruit – Functional Skills.

This award is given to those who demonstrated the most competency in their Functional Skills Assessments during the recruit training program.

Chief Pires reiterated ARFF’s CORE values statement. “We earn others trust by being truthful and direct in our interactions and by always doing what is right. Firefi ghter Walin is an excellent testament to this core value.”

Airports Awarded for Engineering Excellence

By: Gene Matsushige

Airports and Bowers and Kubota were recently awarded for Engineering Excellence from American Council of Engineering Companies for Roadway Improvements and Consolidated Car Rental Facilty.

This project was fi nished on time and on budget due to the hard-working men and women from various contractors.

That included Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Construction Management Company including Bowers and Kubota Consulting, Designers, Demattei Wong Architecture, Maui District Staff and the support of the Airports Administration.

The project was completed on schedule in 30 months and on budget at $340 million.