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Lack of training in media
By Rod Ohira
relations hasn't hampered
HFD's spokesman; 'he's
being tested under fire'
Star-BulletinIt took only 15 months for Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Richard Soo to establish himself as one of Hawaii's top public information officers.
And he did it without any formal training in media relations.
"He's being tested under fire," said HFD Chief Attilio Leonardi. "The timing couldn't have been better."
A Kamehameha Schools graduate and 24-year HFD veteran, Soo has become one of the most familiar faces in the state, deftly handing out information on everything from minor incidents to such high-profile cases as the Sacred Falls tragedy, C. Brewer & Co.'s sulfuric acid spill and the Interstate Building high-rise fire.
"They're starting to call me Captain Disaster," he said.
His knowledge of how the department functions, combined with people skills and good advice, have helped Soo make a smooth transition from head of the Fire Prevention Bureau's Plans Review Section to spokesman.
"This job allows me to see the overall picture, not just what's on my watch," he said. "I see impacts on a daily basis island-wide."Soo was chosen from among five in-house applicants to be the department's first full-time public information officer, Leonardi said.
"Richard had the qualities we were looking for. We wanted someone articulate and easy-going who could respond 24 hours a day to educate the public and media on what the fire department does.
"We're extremely pleased with the job he's done."
But Leonardi didn't just throw Soo into the fire, so to speak.
He allowed Soo to "shadow" Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski, the former Atlanta Fire Department PIO who handled the Olympic bombing, and Neil Heesacker, the veteran Portland, Ore., Fire Department public information officer.
"I learned a lot from them," Soo said. "They told me the most important thing is to return calls right away because if I didn't do it, the media wouldn't use me anymore.
"They also stressed how important it is for me to get information out as soon as I can and make sure it's accurate. That's why, if I don't know the answer, I'll try and get someone at the scene who's a specialist to talk to the reporters."
Model of accessibility
His accuracy, dependability and proactive style has earned Soo high praise from reporters and editors."Capt. Soo is a model of accessibility and responsiveness," KHON-TV News Managing Editor Mark Matsunaga said. "He always answers calls promptly and gets the information we need.
"Compared to other public-sector PR people, he's very good."
Soo's first on-scene briefing was on Feb. 23, 1999, two days after being named PIO.
Rather than a fire or rescue, he started off with the anthrax hoax at the Ala Moana Building.
Three months later, on Mother's Day, Soo was at Sacred Falls, where a rockslide killed eight people and injured 32 others.
"The anthrax hoax was an ordeal because we unloaded a 20-story building," Soo said. "But Sacred Falls was the first real thing I saw.
"I felt like I was in the middle of a MASH unit."
Soo "cut his teeth" at Sacred Falls, said Carol Costa, director of the city's Customer Services Department and Mayor Jeremy Harris' spokeswoman.
"Richard Soo is doing an absolutely tremendous job and is a model for any agency that has a PIO," she said. "He has a willingness to serve the department and I'm amazed at the amount of personal time he's willing to give on weekends and nights."
Soo's compassion for people is genuine.
After registering during a 1991 HFD bone-marrow drive, Soo became a donor in April 1995.
"I was a match for a 28-year-old woman from Ponca City, Okla.," he said. "We met in Las Vegas a year later.
"Sadly, she lived for only three years. Looking back, I really feel honored that I was able to help a person live a little while longer."
The job has made Soo more aware of victims, especially families with young children.
"Seeing the devastation a fire does to individual families has made me realize how fragile life is," he said. "The saddest part is the aftermath, when the children go to their room and see all their stuffed animals burned and their parents look for pictures on the wall that are no longer there.
"Everything they treasure is gone."
Cherishes time with his sons
In his personal life, Soo has experienced two failed marriages. He has a 26-year-old daughter, Marissa, from his first marriage, and adopted two sons -- Davit and Blaise, ages 10 and 5 -- with his second wife."The first thing that came into focus for me is to honor and cherish time with my sons because I'm not a 24-hour parent," said Soo, who has the boys 3 to 4 days a week.
As a member of the Elks Club in Waikiki, he can usually be found with his sons on the beach on weekends.
"The job has made me more organized. I've started going back to church and I'm really happy. I feel my life is just starting to peak."
Richard Soo II, who is of Hawaiian, Portuguese and English ancestry, was born and raised in Palolo Valley.
He recently moved back to the 9th Avenue family home to live with his mother, Alice; aunt, Aileen; and younger firefighter brother, Wendell, and his family.
Soo proudly points out that Wendell was the firefighter who grabbed 70-year-old Mildred McCarter off the 25th-floor ledge of her apartment in a sensational downtown fire rescue on March 6, 1992.
He credits Judy Naniole and James Bertino, who taught him speech and drama, respectively, at Kamehameha for helping him develop early public-speaking skills.
"I still feel that nervousness and I'm conscious about saying too many ahs," he said.
Soon after graduating from high school, he landed a job as a city bus driver.
He took the firefighter's exam three years later at the urging of a friend. He passed.
"I wasn't interested in becoming a fireman, but when I got called a year later, I had to make a big decision.
"I took a sizable pay cut to join the fire department. In those days, I think recruit firefighters made $500-$600 a month.
"I took the job because I felt it offered more potential for career advancement."
Soo regularly answers pages at 4:30 in the morning from reporters seeking information about overnight incidents.
"I don't mind because, a lot of times, the media is notifying me about something I haven't been told about yet," he said. "Having a point of contact affords the department a chance to get out correct information."
No longer a face in the crowd
Soo, who completed training in October for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster response, is eligible for retirement next year but has no plans to leave."It was like night and day, going from a desk job to basically working out of my car with a cell phone, laptop and digital camera," he said.
"I never thought that at this stage of my life, I would be looking forward to working longer. The change has been good for me because it's something new."
It also means he no longer is a face in the crowd.
"People I don't know come up to me now to tell me I went to school with their mom," he said. "I feel embarrassed when I'm recognized because I really don't know how to handle it. To me, I'm just doing a job.
"I see myself as just a chunky guy from Palolo Valley who gets information and releases it."
Richard Soo II
Position: Honolulu Fire Department's first full-time public information officer
