Capt. Richard Soo, the spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department who dabbled in politics last year and became news himself, is retiring at the end of this month to work as a consultant to the public schools on fire safety. Soo leaving HFD to work
with schools on fire safetyThe fire department’s spokesman
will be a contract worker
with the state DOE
By Susan Essoyan
sessoyan@starbulletin.com"I truly love this Fire Department," said the 27-year veteran firefighter. "It taught me everything I know. But being a public information officer with a 24-7 schedule has taken its toll on my family."
His new position, as a contract worker for the state Department of Education, will allow him to help improve safety at schools across the state and spend more time with his children, he said.
"I'm a stakeholder in the public education system," noted Soo, 51, whose youngest son is a third grader at Noelani School, and whose daughter is a public school teacher. "I'll be an additional set of eyes to assist the school principals with fire safety."
Soo was named the department's first full-time public information officer in February 1999, and quickly became one of the state's best-known faces, earning the nickname "Capt. Disaster" for his front-line role in handling tragedies such as the Sacred Falls rock fall.
"Richard has done an outstanding job," said Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi. "We are really going to miss him. It's a big plus for the Department of Education to get him."
Popular for his straightforward style and accessibility, Soo took a break from his duties last January to run -- unsuccessfully -- in a crowded race for a seat on the City Council. In the fall, he appeared in television commercials endorsing Linda Lingle for governor, and again had to step aside briefly as spokesman after people complained that it appeared the Fire Department was endorsing Lingle.
Soo, who has been eligible to retire for two years, said the flap did not prompt his move.
"I've always wanted to take my knowledge and broaden my career, and this opportunity will fulfill that," he said.
Retired police officers have served as safety managers high schools, but Soo said he will be the first Fire Department veteran to join the Safety and Security Section of the Department of Education.
"All county fire departments inspect the public schools," he said. "Some schools have failed inspections for years and years. I'll assist them statewide."
Leonardi noted that Soo had helped create the public schools' fire inspection program, and should make a big difference in school safety by being on campuses year-round.
"All you need is somebody to follow up on things otherwise they fall through the cracks," Leonardi said. "He's well versed in what need to be done."
Capt. Kenison Tejada will assume Soo's duties at the Fire Department beginning Feb. 1.
Born and raised in Palolo Valley, Soo graduated from Kamehameha Schools and joined the city as a bus driver before taking the firefighter exam three years later. "He's developed a lot of programs with us," Leonardi said. "There's no question that a lot of the success of the department is due to Richard Soo."