ʻI hono fakatokangaʻi ʻo e senituli ʻo e ngāue ʻa e Potungāue Tāmate Afí ʻi Maui ʻi he tali ki he ngaahi vela, tāfea mo e ngaahi meʻa fakatuʻupakē kehe, naʻe fakahā ai ʻe he Pule Kolo ko Richard Bissen ʻi he ʻaho Tusite ʻa e ʻAho Senituli ʻo e Potungāue Tāmate Afí ʻi Maui.

Naʻe ʻi he ouau ʻa e ʻEiki Tamate Afí ko Brad Ventura, Tokoni ʻEiki ko Gavin Fujioka, Tokoni ʻEiki ko Henry “Hanale” Lindo mo Jeffrey Giesea mo e niʻihi kehe, kau ai ʻa e kau tamate afi mei he kau ngāue ʻo e Kahului Engine, Tanker, Rescue mo e Hazmat, ʻi he ouau ʻi he ʻaho Tusite ʻi he ʻApi Tamate Afí ʻi Kahului.

ʻI hono ueʻi ke fakalahi ʻa e maluʻi mei he afí ʻi Maui hili ha ngaahi vela lahi, naʻe fokotuʻu ai ʻe he Poate ʻo e Kau Supavaisa ʻo e Vahefonuá ʻa e Potungāue Tāmate Afí, ʻa ia naʻe ʻiloa he taimi ko iá ko e Potungāue Tāmate Afí ʻi Wailuku, ʻi he 1924. ʻI he taʻu ʻe 100 talu mei ai, kuo fakalahi ʻa e Potungāué ʻo hoko ko e Potungāue Tāmate Afí mo e Kakai ʻo e Vahefonuá. ʻOku kau ki ai ʻa e ʻapitanga tāmate afi ʻe 10 ʻi Maui, ʻapitanga tāmate afi ʻe ua mo ha ʻapitanga satelaite ʻi Molokaʻi, mo e ʻapitanga tāmate afi ʻe taha ʻi Lānaʻi. ‘Oku kau foki ‘i he Potungāue Tāmate Afí ‘a e Vahe Malu ‘o e ‘Ōsení, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e kau ngāue ‘e toko 472, kau ai ‘a e ngaahi lakanga tokoni ‘e 12 ki he kau ‘ōfisa malu ‘o e ‘oseni ‘i he Mākena State Beach Park.

“Kuo pau ke mau fakamālō kiate kinautolu kotoa pē naʻa nau muʻomuʻa ʻiate kimautolú ʻi he tuʻunga ʻoku mau ʻi ai he ʻaho ní,” ko e lau ia ʻa e ʻEiki Tāmate Afí ko Venitulá. “Ko ʻemau ngāué kotoa ke fakapapauʻi ʻoku mau akoʻi mo langa hake ki he kahaʻu ʻo ʻemau potungāué koeʻuhí ke mau lava ʻo maʻu ha toe taʻu ʻe 100 ʻo ngāue ki he Vahefonua Mauí.”

ʻI heʻene fanongonongó, naʻe fakaʻapaʻapaʻi ai ʻe he Pule Kolo ko Bissen ʻa e kau tamate afí, kau ngāue sivilé mo e kakai ʻo e koló ʻa ia kuo nau tokoni ki he lavameʻa ʻa e potungāué ʻi he ngaahi taʻu kuo hilí.

“ʻOku ʻikai ke motuʻa ʻa e lea mahalo mo fakahaaʻi ʻemau houngaʻiá,” ko e lau ia ʻa e Pule Kolo ko Bissen.

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