Over 500 community members and first responders gathered at Kakaako’s Fire Station 09 on Saturday to honor Firefighter 1 Jeffrey “Jeff” Fiala with a final salute following his line-of-duty death.
Fiala, 25, died on the evening of Jan. 6 while conducting a search-and-rescue operation at a two-story apartment fire at 1645 Young St. in McCully. Honolulu Fire Department reported the fire was caused by “unattended cooking” in the resident’s kitchen.
The department, joined by other agencies and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, gathered Saturday morning to honor Fiala. The ceremony began with a Scottish bagpipe performance followed by a procession of fire trucks and emergency vehicles in formation along Queen Street.
“In moments like these, we are reminded of the immense sacrifices our first responders make,” Blangiardi said. “Jeff exemplified this commitment.”
Fire Chief Sheldon Hao also remarked that Fiala personified the highest ideals of HFD’s profession.
Fiala is survived by his wife, Fiona; his parents, Michael and Kristine Fiala; his twin brother, Andrew; brother Matthew; and two cats, Dave and Tony.
He attended Honolulu Community College before earning a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in December 2021.
It was at UH Manoa where he met his wife, Fiona, on freshman move-in day. After several years of dating, the couple married in November 2023.
Maile Lambeth, a lecturer in the Fire Science program at HCC, attended the service and grew emotional as she reflected on Fiala’s life and dedication.
“I got to know him best when he was so excited to start his career,” she said.
Lambeth said she first heard the tragic news from other responders who were on the scene when Fiala was being transported out.
Fiala’s teacher remembered him as “such a good student. He always wanted to, and was so passionate, to be a firefighter.”
Fiala was a quiet student, and Lambeth described him as always respectful, diligent, kind and constantly smiling.
Firefighter 1 Peter Chiu, a close friend and classmate of Fiala in Lambeth’s class, delivered the eulogy and described Fiala as someone who “when he prepared, he didn’t leave any stone unturned.”
Chiu recalled that a month before the HFD Physical Ability Test, instead of getting the usual $2 musubi that he and his friends always bought, Fiala stuck to eating only salad.
“When we were preparing for the interview, Jeff went to a physical library, probably the only person under the age of 50 there, and found a Honolulu Fire Department book that covers the past 150 years of service,” Chiu said. “Knowing him, he read it from cover to cover.”
Lambeth said Fiala’s class was the best she had ever taught.
“They were such a good group of people,” she said. “As I followed Jeff through his recruit class, I would always hear nothing but good things when getting updates from his trainers. They would call me all the time to tell me how good Jeff was.”
Fiala decided to pursue a career with the HFD in 2022 and began taking courses in the Fire &Environmental Emergency Response program at Honolulu Community College.
In July 2023, he was accepted into HFD’s 115th recruit class and graduated in March 2024.
Afterward, he was assigned to Station 38 in Waiau before relocating to Station 9 in Kakaako in May 2024, where he spent the remainder of his service. He had been with HFD for about 18 months.
Fiala’s classmate Kaimi Drumright recalled that Fiala took his spot at the Kakaako station when Drumright relocated to another station.
“I told the team to be ready because Fiala was just something else, so special,” he said.
Drumright, who watched Fiala grow throughout their time together, expressed how proud he was of his friend’s accomplishments.
“I watched him flourish so much, he did such amazing things,” he said.
The two shared a unique relationship, with Drumright admitting that they initially couldn’t stand each other.
“In the beginning, we couldn’t stand each other, we would always butt heads. Since our last name initials were close together, we would always get put in the same group, stand in line together, and we would always just pick at each other,” Drumright said. “But by the end of the class, we got super close.”
Drumright fondly remembered their playful banter, describing their bond as one of brotherhood.
“The only thing Samoan about Fiala was his calves,” he said with a smile.
After the final salute, the Fiala family released a statement:
“Aloha,
“From the entire Fiala family, please accept our mahalo to everyone who has publicly and privately expressed their love and support for Jeff. We feel and see your love. Our family is so enormously proud of Jeff; his love of family, love of Fiona, love as a firefighter, love of his friends, love of fishing, love of Hawaii and the people that he served daily are a true and lasting testament to the life that he lived.
“We want to recognize the efforts of everyone who directly and indirectly supported this service and the support given to the entire Fiala family. Your efforts are extremely supportive and have helped all of us dealing with Jeff’s loss. To the members of the City and County of Honolulu, the Mayor, HFD, HPD, Fed Fire, Sheriff, personnel at Straub emergency room, the Medical Examiner’s Office, Nuuanu Mortuary, burial location personnel, HFFA Local 1463, and to Jerry Andrade: your love for Jeff and his family was and is seen, we are so appreciative.
“Thank you all for being present with us today to respect and share aloha with Jeff, our family, the first responders, and lastly to Jeff’s fellow firefighters of the Honolulu Fire Department. Jeff was so proud and loved so very much being a firefighter, his work serving the public was extremely important to him, work he did daily on shift alongside his brothers and sisters. We know at the end of Jeff’s life, he was working as a team of professionals searching for life, searching for a stranger in need. He will always be loved by us as a son, husband, brother, and friend. I ask that you remember him as one of yours as well, if you would have met him in life you would have seen his smile, his humor, love of nature and his compassion for others.
“As you leave today, hug the people you are close with, tell them daily how important they are, be present for them. Jeff knew how much he was loved by us, he sees today how much you loved him — and for that we are eternally grateful.
“The Fiala family”
