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Fire Captain Sues His Fire Chief and FD For Harrassment

6 comments

Suspended After Reporting Safety Violations and Poor Training

HONOLULU FIRE DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN GEORGE KAOPUIKI had no recourse but to file a lawsuit against his employers Friday following a series of harrasing investigations and a suspension.  Following a fire late last year in which an elderly woman was saved by firefighters yet died later at the hospital, Capt. Kaopuiki attended a staff meeting in December and told the five captains and a battalion chief that several costly errors were made by the companies on the scene that could have been prevented with proper training and guidlines.

Capt. Kaopuiki  (KHON-TV image)

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser continues:

The mistakes include not hooking up to a fire hydrant to ensure an ample water supply, and not starting a rescue search sooner because a sufficient water supply had not been secured early on, Kaopuiki told five fire captains and an acting battalion chief during a December meeting.

Fire personnel did not call Emergency Medical Services for 19 minutes after Kaopuiki carried the woman out of the fire, alive and breathing, he said at the meeting. He blamed the department's lack of training for the errors.

"Acting Battalion Chief Mark Nakagawa cautioned everyone present, 'This is an internal meeting. This information stays in-house with lessons learned,'" the lawsuit said.

The suit alleges Kaopuiki was retaliated against when he was subjected to an investigation Jan. 16 for false allegations of mistreating a firefighter at the Kakaako station, which he was told was at the direction of (Fire Chief Kenneth) Silva. That firefighter told Kaopuiki he never made a complaint against him.

Kaopuiki alleges he was retaliated against by being subjected to investigations based on false allegations, being suspended and being transferred, which resulted in loss of pay.

Kaopuiki says that he reported the errors up through the chain of command and then the harrassing actions began.  He is suing the City and County of Honolulu, the Honolulu Fire Department, and Fire Chief Kenneth Silva. 

KHON-TV filed this video report Friday that includes a good interview with Capt. Kaopuiki:

 

He also said that he was reprimanded and warned for writing a 2008 memorandum to an assistant chief about a firefighter who created a safety hazard by taking an unreasonably long time to respond to emergency calls, being unable to drive the firetruck into a correct position to raise a ladder in an emergency situation and being unable to provide medical emergency care.

He has been a member of the HFD for 23 years.

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Posted by on May 6, 2012 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: , ,
  • ukfbbuff

    Truth Hurts.

    When I read that FC Kaopuiki had a Four (4) year old memo mentioned in his disciplinary action, I know FD Management is grasping at straws.

     With the California Firefighters Bill of Rights, he would have either been disciplined for his 2008 memo within one year or it would not have been allowed into the current issue, having “Timed Out”.

     Hope he wins his case.

  • Hfdohana

    This guy is a outright kook and embarrassment to his department . Anyone who has worked with him will tell you so. Media has hitched a ride on the wrong guy ..and with time hopefully it will come out . His little sound bite definitely sounds intriguing but it’s based on his own delusions of grandeur .

  • 27yrvet

    Hfdohana is right.  I’ve been stationed with this guy and he is a bully with serious anger management problems.  He has been moved from every station he has been assigned to as a captain because of physical confrontations that he initiates.  He filed this bogus lawsuit to try and save his job because he is under investigation again.  It’s sad that the news media only report his side of the story without investigating the character of the man.  He is a disgrace to the HFD. 

  • citizen1

    Character of the man aside (since he is not on trial), where is the investigation into HIS allegations??  If what he is saying is true…and this woman’s life was put in jeopardy because of slow response, no hose hook ups, and not calling EMS…THAT is what needs to be addressed.  Why is it that the “whistle blower” takes on all the heat and character assassination??  He’s not looking for money here…just needed training and guidelines for those whose job it is to SAVE LIVES!!  (He must know what he’s doing if he’s been doing it for over 23 years!!)

  • concerned person

    mokuahi, I have no reason to bash HFD but I assure you, I tell the truth. Kalihi Kai FD did nothing to help my husband. We were at a state park, not at our house. My husband was on the ground. The first of the firemen kept eye contact with me and said, more than once, “he’s having a seizure” and told me to step back. The second fireman also did nothing but stand next to the first one. They both looked uncomfortable in their heavy yellow plastic suits and heavy gear. I dropped to my knees and prayed to God to spare my husband. These two men just watched as if it was all for their entertainment. The third fireman approached and said something like “this man is in trouble” but he made himself busy by walking back to the fire truck. My husband was beet-red and suffering horribly, making strangulation sounds. Why would I lie? I grew up in Hawaii. Hawaii’s my home. Of course I want to say that I live in the best place in the world. I don’t know how you can guarantee what another fireman would do. Perhaps these firemen were the exception. If you can’t handle the truth and you weren’t present, keep your opinion to yourself. I expect nothing good from the HFD and will hate the HFD for the rest of my life.    

  • 245thRedeye

    245thRedeye –
    Good luck with the Whistle blower lawsuit, anyone who has ever gone through one will tell you that if the had a choice they would have sought another way. The government lawters thught up this bogus law that has as much teeth as an elderly person who has lost all their teeth and false teeth. The time it takes to settle the lawsuit takes forever if at all. If a lawyer advised you to file a whistleblower I would really be suspect of the lawyer’s intentions.