A city audit that showed a Honolulu Fire Department fund meant to support fire prevention efforts on Oahu was instead financing the department’s operations, staffing and new fire equipment purchases with little to no oversight received public comment this week.

In a report issued in August, the Office of the City Auditor asserts HFD’s Fire Plans Review Revolving Fund, or FPRRF — established and created via 2012’s Ordinance 12-4 as a repository for fire plan review fees — does not have adequate safeguards in place, as required by city law, to prevent fraud, waste or error in the use of public funds.

By city law, the fire plans review fee is required to earmark 10% of the building permit fee payable to the City and County of Honolulu.

In turn, those collected funds may be spent for HFD’s

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