Resident urges Hawaii County Council to fund islandwide swim- and ocean-safety initiative

EJ Patterson told the Hawaii County Council during a public hearing that the county should fund an islandwide initiative to ensure that children learn swimming and ocean-safety skills.

Patterson, speaking via Zoom, said a KHON news report showed that roughly 30 percent of children ‘‘can’t swim’’ and about 63 percent ‘‘can’t tread water,’’ and that drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1–15. ‘‘It just seemed crazy where we live on an island,’’ Patterson said, arguing that existing programs do not reach enough families.

Patterson noted that the budget already includes funding for Parks and Recreation aquatics programs and Fire Department water-safety efforts, plus limited nonprofit activity, but said those efforts lack coordination and flexible scheduling families with working parents need. ‘‘It really takes an initiative to coordinate between different agencies,’’ Patterson said, urging joint beach clinics, expanded aquatics lessons and outreach tied to local water-sports groups and community organizations.

Patterson praised the junior lifeguard program as ‘‘excellent’’ but said it requires preexisting swimming competency, leaving many children unable to start there. He proposed targeted outreach and programming that could include beach clinics, coordinated lesson schedules, and water-safety videos and education for schoolchildren and families.

The staff timekeeper ended Patterson’s three-minute statement when the allotted time expired. No council member responded during the hearing, and no vote or formal direction on the proposal was taken. The hearing recessed briefly and then adjourned at 05:26.

Next steps: The transcript records the appeal to fund and coordinate swim-safety efforts but does not show any council action, request for follow-up, or budget amendment; those would need to be initiated by council members or staff for the idea to move forward.