Staffing shortages are triggering temporary closures at some Oahu EMS stations.
Officials confirmed six ambulances were left unmanned Sunday from midnight until noon. Another two were offline the remainder of the day.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep as many ambulance units on the road as we can,” said Honolulu EMS acting Chief Christopher Sloman.
But it hasn’t been easy. Staffing shortages have been a problem for Honolulu EMS for years -- even prior to the pandemic.
Sometimes, that leads to temporary station closures.
Sloman says over the past month, the agency has averaged less than two closures a day.
“But occasionally we still have bad days and that’s what happened on Sunday,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”
Officials attributed it to a combination of scheduled vacations, sick calls and personnel on military leave.