County of Hawaii Unit 15 Ocean Safety Promotions Supplemental Agreement

Updated March 24

Voting Results

Hawaii County Unit 15 water safety officers voted to approve the supplemental agreement for the updated promotion process.

Total votes cast: 28
Total yes votes: 21
Percentage: 75%

Mahalo to everyone who voted!

View Supplemental Agreement and Internal Recruitment Job Bulletins 

Hawaii County Fire Department and HGEA has negotiated a supplement agreement to incorporate an education and experience component into the promotional process for water safety officers to better evaluate the qualifications of applicants.

The current promotional process is based solely on an interview score with seniority as the final determining factor if applicant scores are classified as “relatively equal.”

The new provisions of this supplemental agreement will provide a more objective basis to rank qualified applicants and align Ocean Safety’s process with the county’s firefighter promotions. Additional criteria is included to clarify what the term “relatively equal” means for promotions.

Ratification for the new supplemental agreement begins on Monday, March 17 and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21.

Under the proposed agreement, the following would apply to affected employees:

  • No change to the current oral interview/assessment center evaluation. This will count for 75% of the applicant’s total score.
  • An education and experience score will be incorporated into the promotional process and count for 25% of the applicant’s total score.
  • The education component, relevant to the administrative duties of the advanced Ocean Safety positions, will be scored by assigning points based on an applicant’s possession of an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.
  • The experience component points will be computed based on years of service for each creditable rank within the department’s Ocean Safety program.
  • Applicants’ E&E score shall be weighed against other factors, including performance evaluations and assessment scores, to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of each candidate’s suitability for promotion.
  • Seniority shall continue to be a factor in promotions with the consideration of Ocean Safety experience as a part of the E&E component and as the deciding factor in the case of a tie in the final score.
  • All promotional candidates will receive a breakdown of their total score, including their E&E score, seniority consideration, and any other factors used in the promotion decision.

If you have questions, please contact Union Agent Riley Iyo at riyo@hgea.org or (808) 961-0766. 

 Voting Information

  1. All voting will be done through electronic ballot. Only affected HGEA members are eligible to vote.
  2. Voting starts on Monday, March 17 and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21.
  3. On March 17, an electronic ratification ballot will be sent to your personal email address from “HGEA Ballot,” with the subject, “BALLOT: HGEA-COH BU15 SA Ratification for Ocean Safety Promotions.“
  4. If you do not see a ballot in your personal email, search for “ballot” in your inbox, junk mail or spam folders. See instructions on how to request a ballot. Ballot requests must be received before 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21 (no later than two hours before the close of electronic voting).

Results of the ratification vote will be reported after voting has closed and the results have been certified.