Hawaiʻi County Posting Fire Chief Position in March; Volpe Intends to Apply

Hawai‘i County officials announced the county will post the job opening for its fire chief in March 2026 following the December death of Chief Kazuo Todd, who died Dec. 14, 2025 and was reported to be 45. Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Volpe has led the department as acting and temporary chief since Todd’s death and told reporters he intends to apply for the permanent position.

At the Feb. 26 Fire Commission meeting in the County Council chambers in Hilo, commissioners approved minimum requirements for the fire chief position and directed the Hawai‘i County Department of Human Resources to write and post the job description and opening. Chairman Gerald Kosaki, a retired HFD battalion chief, told commissioners that commission rules require a notice about the search be published “in one or more newspapers in general circulation in the state of Hawaii once a week for three consecutive weeks,” and that the notice must include application-process information and qualifications.

Kosaki outlined the baseline qualifications that will appear in the notice, saying candidates must meet “a minimum of five years experience and training in fire control, including ‘at least three years in a reasonable administrative capacity,’” and added, “So, that is subject to interpretation.” At an earlier meeting that named Volpe temporary chief, the vote was 6-0 in his favor; Commissioners Les Hanano and Rick Porter were absent and the commission remained down a member after the Nov. 26 death of Vice Chairman Steven Hirakami, age 79. Volpe told commissioners he’s “honored” to continue in the department’s top spot until a new chief is named.

The county’s Department of Human Resources will post the job opening in March 2026 and will set the application deadline and submission instructions in the official notice. Fire Commission members and applicants should expect the required newspaper notice to run once a week for three consecutive weeks and to list the minimum qualifications and the application process. The next Fire Commission meeting is scheduled for March 19, 2026.

BigIslandNow reported that in January police commissioners interviewed eight finalists and chose Reed Mahuna, who had been serving as interim chief, and that Mahuna will have a public swearing-in ceremony on March 6 in Hilo; the BigIslandNow item does not explicitly link that selection to the fire chief search and identifies the selecting body as police commissioners. Reporters seeking confirmation of department assignments and timing should verify which department Mahuna will lead.

Department records provide additional operational context: Battalion Chief Patrick Springer was named 2024 Firefighter of the Year for expanding the Training Section; new auto-extrication tools were placed at Haihai Station with in-service training March 17-19 by Jay Kauhane of Swift Rescue Group; Captains Garrett Kim and Michael Akau and Fire Rescue Specialists Tay Soares and Daniel Okumura completed a 65-hour Rope Rescue course; Capt. Goo logged meetings on March 21 for Fuel Farm Inspections in District 2 and attended the Creative Media Summit on March 27; Inspector Ahu completed a final fire alarm inspection for HFS in District 1 on March 13. The Hawai‘i Fire Department mailing address is 25 Aupuni St., Suite 2501, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 and the contact email on departmental reports is FIRE@HAWAIICOUNTY.GOV.