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With the increased focus on public safety in light of the Aug. 8 fires, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier is asking the County Council to fund a helicopter program with night-vision capabilities.

The council unanimously approved an initial step in making that a reality last week by signing off on his request to use $500,000 of his department’s budget next fiscal year on a night-vision computer console, the first piece of equipment needed for what’s expected to be a 10-year helicopter program costing more than $27 million.

First responders cannot currently conduct nighttime operations by air, including law-enforcement missions, search and rescue and battling fires, Pelletier said.

“I think if we put out one fire with this bird, it pays for itself. If we save one life, it pays for itself,” Pelletier told council members at their May 21 meeting when they voted 9-0 to approve the budget amendment.

On Wednesday, at the request of Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura, Pelletier will provide a more thorough presentation about the purpose and capabilities of the proposed aerial program — and its future budget implications. She also has requested a member of the Police Commission to be in attendance, but no action will be taken.

As outlined in a of the estimated costs, $4 million would be needed for start-up expenses that include buying and equipping a and training the crews. It also outlines annual funding for operations, which are estimated to start at about $2.4 million per year.

Only $500,000 of the program’s cost is in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, which starts July 1. It is for a , a night-vision system that features high-tech cameras, thermal imaging, streaming and mapping ability.

The council is expected to vote June 5 on the county’s overall $1.7 billion spending plan for next year. Included in that, with the council’s amendments, is Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed budget for MPD of $83 million, a 6% increase over last year.

Pelletier said the $500,000 for the initial night-vision equipment is reprioritized funding that is coming from savings due to switching to a subsidized vehicle program in which officers can use their personal vehicles while on-duty.

He said the timing of the purchase of the night-vision system this upcoming fiscal year will provide a jumpstart on the helicopter program. The equipment is needed during the build-out of a helicopter program, which can take more than a year.

Other future expenses of the helicopter program include $250,000 for a hoist and $63,000 for night-vision goggles.

Pelletier said while the helicopter would be “a law enforcement-led, law enforcement-driven, law enforcement-used airship,” the county also could use it as needed, including partnering with the fire department when a second helicopter is needed.

“As you are dropping chemical to fight a fire, the other airship can be filling up, and now you can go ahead and have redundancy,” he said.

The Maui Fire Department currently does not own its own helicopter. Instead, it has a contract with Windward Aviation for exclusive use of a chopper called Air 1, Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Giesea said during an interview in April.

“I don’t want to say 24/7 because they generally don’t fly at night for safety reasons,” Giesea said. “And we’ve occasionally let the police use it here and there.”

Windward Aviation, which is based out of Kahului Airport and specializes in utility work, also has three or four other helicopters that can be made available to the department when big fires happen, Giesea said.

In addition, Maui County can request help from National Guard helicopters on Oahu, which was done during the August wildfires. Although, Giesea said, that is not optimal because the pilots are not familiar with the area and where to get water.

“So we have a fairly robust aerial firefighting capability here on Maui for the size of our community,” he said.

But Pelletier cited a recommendation in the that said the Maui Fire Department should “review the existing exclusive use contract and explore the possibility of expanding it to enhance aerial operation capabilities.”

The report said that while firefighting helicopters “may not be a panacea for wildfires,” especially in extreme wind conditions, they can be “instrumental in containing wildfires, especially with the use of foams and retardants.”

During the Aug. 8 fires, extreme wind conditions grossly limited the use of firefighting helicopters. But helicopters were used in the coming days to prevent further spread and provide water in tough-to-reach places.

The report acknowledged the challenges of funding aviation costs, given how infrequently they are actually used. But the report said, “the need is real, especially during wildfires.”

Sugimura said another reason for the “deep dive” into the program is because the recommendation was for the fire department, not the police department.

A request for comment from the fire department about the police department’s plans for a helicopter went unanswered on Tuesday.

Council member Nohelani U’u-Hodgins commended the police and fire departments for working together for the community’s benefit to deal with the problems and fire risks along Holomua Road in Paia, where there have been over three dozen fires this year alone.

She said the county has to acknowledge that its population is growing faster than its chronically short-staffed police department can keep up.

“We’re going to have to figure out how to keep us safe with technology,” she said at last week’s council meeting.

Pelletier said a helicopter that could fly at night could be beneficial for hostage rescues, barricade situations or searching for homicide subjects after the sun goes down. A helicopter also can more quickly respond to remote areas of the county, including Molokai, Lanai and Hana.

“I had a situation in Molokai where we had an armed individual, and I could not get resources to that island until well over the next day,” Pelletier told the council. “That’s not acceptable.”

He said he will plan on returning to the council during next year’s budget process to ask for money for the helicopter itself and related costs.

“The cost of public safety, the cost of government, just keeps going up,” Pelletier said.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.