The city this week laid out the duties and eligibility requirements for members of the public who want to serve on the newly created Ocean Safety Commission.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi will appoint all five members to the inaugural commission, which will oversee the Department of Ocean Safety. The Honolulu City Council will confirm the appointees.

The mayor “is looking for exceptional individuals to step forward and join the Ocean Safety Commission,” a news release said.

Oahu voters said yes, by a margin of 2-to-1, to the 2024 City Charter Question No. 3 to establish an Ocean Safety Commission to review and make recommendations on certain activities of the Department of Ocean Safety, including appointing an ocean safety chief.

The newly formed Department of Ocean Safety, which Blangiardi created and was signed into law in May, lacked provisions for a commission. That required a charter amendment.

Its department’s predecessor, the city’s Ocean Safety Division, fell under the umbrella of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.

Some members of the public and the City Council clamored for transparency and oversight of the new department, including former Ocean Safety Chief John Titchen, who had criticized the mayor’s initial plan to create a department without an oversight panel.

Titchen was placed on unpaid administrative leave in April for an investigation of an unexplained personnel matter, but was then placed on leave with pay. He left the city in July to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Ocean Safety employs 294 lifeguards and eight rescue ski teams, who staff 43 lifeguard towers around the island.

The department’s commission will likely be fashioned after the city’s fire and police commissions.

Initial meetings for the commission are expected to begin in July.

The city has already received “self-initiated submissions,” a spokesman for the mayor told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser earlier this month.

“The Ocean Safety Commission represents our continued commitment to ocean safety first responders safeguarding the lives of residents and visitors while protecting the natural beauty and vitality of our marine environment,” Blangiardi said in a written statement. “We are calling on dedicated community members with expertise, experience, and a love for the ocean to help guide HOSD’s critical mission.”

The Ocean Safety Commission will not have direct operational or administrative authority over the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department, the news release said.

However, it is tasked with the following duties:

>> Appointing the ocean safety chief

>> Reviewing the annual budget prepared by the ocean safety chief and making recommendations thereon to the mayor and the Council

>> Reviewing the department’s operations, as deemed necessary, for the purpose of recommending improvements to the ocean safety chief

>> Evaluating at least annually the performance of the ocean safety chief and submitting a report on the evaluation to the mayor and the Council

>> Hearing complaints of citizens concerning the department or its personnel and, if deemed necessary, making recommendations to the ocean safety chief on appropriate corrective actions

>> Submitting an annual report to the mayor and the Council on its activities

Eligibility requirements:

>> Applicants must reside in the City and County of Honolulu, be registered voters and demonstrate expertise in one or more of the following areas:

>> Open-water lifesaving and public safety services

>> Marine conservation and environmental science

>> Community education and outreach

>>Ocean water sports and recreation

>> Risk management and injury prevention in a dynamic aquatic environment

>> Emergency management and disaster preparedness

>> Intimate knowledge of the City Charter pertaining to the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter by Jan. 31 to mdoffice@honolulu.gov or mail to:

Office of the Mayor

City and County of Honolulu

530 S. King St., Room 300

Honolulu, HI 96813.