By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU) – The five-member Honolulu Ocean Safety Commission voted unanimously on Friday to select Kurt Lager, a 20-year veteran of Honolulu Ocean Safety, as the first commission-appointed Chief of Ocean Safety in the department’s history.
Lager, whose candidacy as a finalist was supported by Mayor Rick Blangiardi, has been serving as the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department’s appointed director since July 2024.
“I’m extremely pleased with the commission’s decision, and I’m very proud of Kurt. Over the course of the last 18 months, Kurt has distinguished himself with his leadership of our Ocean Safety department, and the commission’s selection validates everything we know to be true about his character and his capabilities,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “I also want to thank the members of the Ocean Safety Commission for their commitment to our communities, and to the men and women of Ocean Safety, in making this very important leadership decision.”
“I am humbled and filled with gratitude right now, and I’m excited to build on the progress we have already made by working collaboratively with the commission, community members and our entire lifeguard ʻohana. I look forward to leading our department into this next chapter,” said Chief Lager.
The City’s stand-alone Honolulu Ocean Safety Department was created by Mayor Rick Blangiardi in May 2024 via Resolution 24-103, which was unanimously approved by the members of the Honolulu City Council. The City’s lifeguard services had previously operated as a component within the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, along with Emergency Medical Services.
During the 2024 general election, Oʻahu residents voted to amend the Revised Charter of the City and County of Honolulu to thereafter establish a commission — similar to the City’s Fire Commission and Police Commission — to help oversee the newly-created Honolulu Ocean Safety Department.
The five members of the Honolulu Ocean Safety Commission — Billy Pratt, Dr. Richard Kebo, Steven Jenness, Racquel Achiu and Kanani Oury — were nominated by Mayor Blangiardi on June 23 and confirmed by the Honolulu City Council on August 6. After meeting for the first time on September 4, the commission’s selection process for a Chief of Ocean Safety played out in November and December of this year.
“Our focus is now entirely on continuing to build a strong, accountable and forward-thinking Ocean Safety Department that puts prevention, training, and public service at the forefront,” said Chief Lager. “We are committed to investing in our lifeguards, strengthening partnerships with our communities and fellow first responder agencies, and ensuring we are prepared to meet the evolving challenges of ocean safety across Oʻahu.”
As the first commission-appointed Chief of Ocean Safety, Lager will continue to lead a department responsible for monitoring the roughly 227 miles of coastline and near-shore waters around the island of Oʻahu and rescuing thousands of people in distress every year. The department typically performs more than one million preventative actions in any given year, warning beachgoers and visitors about ocean conditions that could prove dangerous to inexperienced swimmers, surfers and snorkelers.