(Instrumental music) Kalai: Aloha, I’m Kalai Miller.

Now growing up in Hawaii, we’re basically surrounded by water.

And whether it’s in the ocean or in a pool, knowing how to swim is essential.

A local business in Windward Oahu is helping some of the youngest in our community learn this life-saving skill.

Lauren: Of course you should always watch your child around the water and at all times.

But after taking my son to the beach one day and you know unloading everything he darted off to the water and I thought oh my goodness, like I can't always be there.

You know, anything could happen in a split second.

Especially when you have multiple children - you could be tending to one child, all the other ones darting off to the ocean or darting off to the pool.

Kai: For us as a water family.

She's going to be on water a whole life.

And at this young age, it's just a big reassurance to know that she's, you know, going to be safe.

Audrey: Okay.

Can you show him one of your “uh ohs”?

Let’s do our “uh oh”.

Say we accidentally fall in in a vertical posture.

We step off, walk off, jump off the edge.

We fall down.

Good.

There you go.

Wow.

Oh there it is.

Good.

Nice one.

Very nice.

Good job.

Get five.

Give my five?

Yeah.

Can we do your “uh ohs” here?

ISR is infant swimming resource.

It's a little different than traditional swim lessons where we're teaching children's self rescue techniques if they ever reach the water alone we want them to know what to do.

It's in my mind essential to all children.

Drownings are the leading cause of accidental death for children one through four and we want to change that statistic.

So being in Hawaii and surrounded by water on an island surrounded by water, we are at kind of a higher risk.

But drownings don't always happen in the ocean or a pool.

There's other places they can happen.

They can happen in a fish pond, bathtub.

Depending on the child's different age, and skill level or developmental level, there's different skills that they can learn.

First thing that we do, initially, is show them where they are safe and where they can get air-breath security.

So what I'm doing is I'll lay them back on their back, give them a lot of support, and show them that this is a safe place.

This is where we're going to rest and breathe.

So infants will learn any position they're placed in the water or they slip or fall in the water, they'll learn to roll back and float and remain in a float until someone comes and picks them up.

The reason we don't teach them to flip over grab on, pull themselves out of the water is because developmentally they're not ready.

A child, if they can't walk, it would be hard for them to pull themselves out of the water, so they're safer in a float.

(Instrumental music) Jamie: It's nerve wracking.

It is.

Because you're just kind of like, Am I doing the right thing?’ Because they don't like it.

(Child crying) Audrey: We’re gonna get you warmed up here.

Jamie: There are some days where he'll like laugh and play and splash and be like, okay, I can do this.

But most of the time, he's like fussing like I want out of the water.

It gives you a sort of anxiety because you, you don't like to hear your kids cry, especially as a mother like, you hear your kids whining or crying like you want to fix it.

You want to you know, you want to make it stop.

But at the end of the day, you're doing something really giving to your child.

You're giving them a skill that I feel is really important to have and that we felt as a family was really important for our kids to have.

Audrey: Once the child is about 12 months old, and walking has a strong developed walk, those, that's a skill set where they can learn to swim.

Any position that they're placed in the water, they will learn to swim search for an exit within three to four seconds.

If they can't reach that exit, they'll roll back rest and breathe, and then flip over and swim again.

We call this one swim-float-swim sequence.

So the exit in a pool would be a stairs, a ladder, a pool ledge, first thing I'm going to do is show them how to hold on grab there, make sure they feel safe, make sure they're reaching for that stair.

And then we start working that water line kind of breath control, timing it with their breath, working the waterline up to their lips, and then gradually, with each successful increment, we ask for a little bit more.

We set them up for success.

So you know, I'm not gonna be first day “Woo, here we go underwater?” You know, each child is different.

And the nice thing about ISR lessons is it's really customized to each child's ability.

You'll see when we do the in water that there's not a lot of explaining to the child.

And it's because children, especially younger children, don't learn that way they learn through sensory motor learning.

They're going to be learning through certain touches and prompts and reinforcement through the instructor and also that sensory experience through the water.

So once your child is fully skilled, and that means that they can perform all their skills without touch or assistance.

I have about seven to eight different we call them checkout procedures, and they're slow motion placements that we would - it assimilates all the different ways that your child can potentially fall in the water.

And we go through those and once they're able to do those independently, we'll, we'll put clothes on them.

We do about three days to clothes, we start in light summer clothes, or I call it typical Hawaii day, right?

A little dress for a little girl or shirt and shorts for boy.

If they wear a regular diaper at home, which a lot of the kids do, you know, two or even three and under, we have them practice in that regular diaper, which really gets saturated and adds on more weight.

And we want them to be able to, you know, God forbid they ever do find themselves in a situation that this not be the first time that they practice in their clothes.

Kai: At this point, now, one year later, she's - she doesn't want to leave the pool.

And she always wants to be around the water.

And then the same skills and stuff apply, like at home in the bathtub, or if we're at a friend's pool, she does the same thing, too.

So it's been a so far good run for her.

And it's gotten her closer to the water, which is good for me as a waterman.

Audrey: It's very rewarding.

I've had parents, you know, when they get that independent float, and I tell him, “Hey, come over.

If you want take a picture,” you know, and I and sometimes I have my parents that kind of tear up.

And for me to have that and give that to somebody this life saving skill, it's it, it really brings me a lot of joy.

And I'm so grateful that I have the training to do this.

You’re welcome.

Done!

(Instrumental music) Kalai: Flowers are emotional with bouquets and arrangments conveying messages of love, gratitude and even sympathy.

For more than a hundred years, Fujikami Florist has helped thousands of customers mark their special occasions.

And for the owner of Hawaii’s oldest florist, it’s about continuing a proud family legacy.

Eileen: I love all the flowers when they come in.

They're all different and unique and some smell good.

Some are pokey like this one.

My name is Eileen Miura, I'm the third generation owner of Fujikami Florist.

George: My name is George and I started working with Fujikami's roughly 30 years ago.

I am part of the family as well.

I'm married to a Fujikami daughter.

I started in 1993.

My wife, of course, was already affiliated with Fujikami's working there every day.

We kind of hit it off.

And three years later, we got married on a lark in Las Vegas.

Eileen: My grandfather Walter Fujikami started Fujikami Florist in 1919.

I just remember grandpa loved flowers and he loved people.

George: Walter established the first shop at the corner of Fort Street and Pauahi Street.

He had a background in business.

He was a student for a brief amount of time at the Honolulu Business College.

He was a veteran of World War One, he enlisted at the age of 21 and then was honorably discharged in 1919.

And five months later, he was opening his first flower shop.

He really established himself in the business here in the business community.

He was very, very prominent, not only in the Japanese community, but across the board.

He was just that type of a man and very civic minded, and had a lot of impetus for the community.

And people used to say that you know that if you needed help, or you needed advice, if you need anything, Walter was a, was a good person to go see, because he was always willing to help people.

Eileen: My favorite memory of grandpa, coming to the shop, going to get icee at the Kress Store.

It’s not always working though.

Every Sunday we'd go to the beach and then go to KC Drive Inn to get a waffle dog and peanut butter shake.

But flowers have always just been a part of us.

So, these are the South American roses.

Uncle Stephen was the first to bring these in I think.

They're really long about 30 inches.

The buds the heads are really pretty.

They're about two inches.

They bloom really nice.

There's different varieties, but red is always nice.

Literally I grew up in the florist shop.

So, when I would be going to the Bishop Street store, Grandpa was retired and so uncle owned the store.

Mom was there working alongside him.

George: In the late, mid to late 70s, he was he was getting on in his years, turning 80 or so.

And so his eldest son, Stephen, who had been very much involved in the business, took over the reins.

Stephen decided in 1987, to take Fujikami to the next step and the next level and a new location over on Pensacola and South Beretania.

Steve implemented many, many changes, innovations in that day.

People may recall that in the 80s, it was a time of catalogs.

Your mailbox will be crammed with catalogs from all of these mainland companies.

And Steve took that idea.

He published catalogs with his best designs, new and innovative designs.

And people utilized those catalogs.

They were a great, terrific tool.

And they stimulated the business.

And to this day, 20 years later, since the last catalog went out of print, people still call us, our old customers, and they order by the catalog number of an arrangement.

Eileen: Anthuriums drink from the face.

Even when you have them at home, you could always spray them with water.

And you always cut the stems at an angle so that they drink well in the bucket.

George: Steve was getting ready to retire.

I think it was about 2010.

My wife and I, Steve's sister, Amy - we decided that we would like to pursue it and we would like to take it over and, and continue.

We used the Pensacola and, and Beretania location.

And after about five or six years Eileen, who is Amy's daughter, and had been working for us for oh, a good many years expressed an interest and a desire to take up the reins.

And we said, go for it, it's, it's all yours.

Now we're back here on Pali Highway and Kukui Street only a couple of blocks from where Walter started 104 years ago.

Eileen: So, I actually started working here in my 20s.

So, I started under uncle Stephen at the Pensacola Street location.

And I had to learn everything.

I didn't know anything.

I didn't know flower names.

I didn't know the mechanics.

I didn't know how to process the flowers.

So, I learned all that.

I had to learn how to design because when mom and George were running the shop, we had designers but it's always hard to find a designer that can design your work.

Anybody can copy, but it always comes down to their mechanics.

Our style it's been the same almost, through the generations that oriental style is what we're known for.

George: It's a blend of different elements that you see feature flowers, secondary flowers, and there's always a lot of line in these arrangements to give not only the perspective, but just a certain amount of verticality and that kind of thing.

Elements like these create a negative space.

But the arrangement encompasses that space.

And so the dimension is there by and large and increased without actually increasing the volume.

Those are all parts of the the Oriental sort of, I guess, feel or motif of the arrangement and it's a very serene one.

But the most important thing is balance.

If there's no balance, then there's no serene feeling that you get from looking at this.

Eileen: Getting flowers every week, you know, it's like opening a Christmas present every week.

Even though it's a box of flowers, it's pretty and I get to touch it.

I get to clean it.

You know, put it away, get it ready for the order for that occasion for our customers.

I love talking to them I like to know what they're doing.

Over the generations growing up with our family it's always been that way.

So, talking to the customer, treating them like your family almost getting to know them.

It's a part of the process.

I like making arrangements, because it’s relaxing for me I think.

I’m making someone’s day.

George: Fortunately for us, there has been a good carryover from generation to generation.

You know, this is where my mother and father, got their wedding flowers, you hear that often.

This is where my dad used to come to buy prom flowers for my mom, or this is where my father sent me.

There's a lot of generational transfer, if you will, of information.

So, that kind of word of mouth is very good.

And it's the best reference, I think that you can have.

Eileen: Oh, I love getting feedback from the customers.

I get a lot of customers that call and say oh, you sent the flowers to so and so and they loved it.

Thank you so much.

It inspires me for the next occasion to make something special.

You know, I take pride in what we do.

George: When you realize how important the occasions are, and that people have actually come out to honor those occasions, by sending flowers and sending your flowers.

That type of a thing is, you know, really meaningful for me.

Eileen: Working in the family business, it's a lot of work.

But it's also fun.

George: She's exhibited a great deal of, of work ethic, and perseverance and the talent.

And she's always had a great way with people.

So, I look at what Walter had when he started.

And it's the same set of tools.

Eileen: I love what I do.

I mean, who can say that they love what they do.

I love working with flowers.

I love meeting the people.

I love our customers.

You know, I love coming to work every day.

And so hopefully, I can continue this.

(Instrumental music) Kalai: From flowers to flying – if I told you a 12-year-old could pilot a plane – you’d probably think I was crazy.

But that’s exactly what the Civil Air Patrol does.

It’s training the next generation of aviation enthusiasts and here in Hawaii, the Civil Air Patrol is also key in times of emergency.

Dana: You never know what the emergency is going to be when it's going to come and here in Hawaii, we never know what direction it's going to come from.

But the Civil Air Patrol, the people in the Civil Air Patrol, prepare, train and are ready to respond to whatever the emergency is, in whatever direction it comes from.

That's what we're here for.

Roger: Civil Air Patrol in Hawaii was established in 1946.

The first wing commander was a colonel Ben Dillingham.

The wing has changed over the years because of the missions.

The primary mission of the Civil Air Patrol in Hawaii is tsunami warning mission.

Stacy: If there is a inbound tsunami, we have a mission, in coordination with the state to try to augment their, their warning systems or sirens.

Dana: So there are pre-designated routes that we fly pre-designated calls that we make over the PA systems that are, that are built into the planes to be able to tell people a tsunami is coming, you need to evacuate go to high ground.

And then our pilots are trained to fly a very specific route very quickly.

We also have communications radios, different kinds of equipment on the different islands ready to respond in an emergency, and an emergency might be a hurricane, a tsunami, a fire, a flood.

Hawaii has different kinds of emergencies than other parts of the mainland, for example, the volcano.

Every time you do an emergency mission, it always pulls on your heartstrings in both ways.

You're very sorry for the loss, whatever it is, whether it was loss of life, loss of property, loss of animals and pets, loved ones.

And there's a balance to be had of while something may have been lost, we were able to prevent or save or help something else from, from it being worse.

Roger: The morning after the Hurricane Iniki, I was up and flying for damage assessments.

Two days after the hurricane, I flew a baby and a mother from Lihue to Honolulu for medical treatment.

The baby was in bad shape.

And the air ambulance wasn't available.

So civil defense, asked the Civil Air Patrol, to transport the mother and baby to Honolulu.

Yeah, very emotional.

Especially after Iniki.

What could we do in damage assessment outside of saying everything is flat.

It was terrible.

Dana: When you are responding to a situation that could be very bad for somebody some property some place, you balance those emotions with the respect and the aloha kindness that you get from people, when they realize you really are there to help.

And you really are there on your own time.

We're unpaid.

So we're all volunteers.

And yet we train and prepare, and we push ourselves to able to make a difference in the moment when it happens.

And then when that moment happens, and when the search is is going on.

We really feel for the people who are involved.

And sometimes it's our own people.

And sometimes it's our neighbors.

And we really like to talk about being, serving others.

That's really what we do it for, to be able to help and to use our own skills to be prepared for the moment, for that help.

Stacy: For search and rescue, or for any of the disaster assessments, we try to make sure that everyone is looked at making sure that they're okay.

And we will try to help facilitate the counties in the state to make sure that they're recognizing where the assistance required.

The other part is, it's really important for the future of Hawaii.

So cadet programs basically involves 12-18 year olds, well, technically 12 to 21 year olds.

And it gives them an opportunity to look at different phases of flight or different things related to the aerospace industry.

So for example, how does a wind tunnel work?

How does an airplane fly?

How do balloons fly?

(Rocket soars) They can get involved in model rocket launchers, radio controlled aircraft, small unmanned aerial systems, we actually also give them up to five flights in a Cessna aircraft, a small single engine aircraft or up and also up to five flights in gliders.

And it's a really good exposure for them to see do they really like that career field?

Is that something they want to go into?

Marlene: And as they join, then they can start, they start ranking up.

And rank is just like the Air Force.

It's doing their physical training, doing a leadership test, doing drill, and then also character development, about morals and leadership.

Drill is the basic how to march.

Woman: Alright here we go.

Jumping jacks!

Marlene: Physical training, it is physical training.

They have to do a mile run in certain amount of time based on their age.

It's a healthy, what they call a healthy zone fitness, how many pushups, how many situps and a stretch - a sit and reach.

So that's part of their growth.

It gets them off the couch.

And a lot of it also we do emergency service training.

So if there's a, like a hurricane, we do all kinds of stuff they ask to take pictures, the plane surveillance, everything, whatever we're tasked with.

They do robotics.

They do Cyber Patriot, if - were computers being attacked, so how to stop that.

They get to learn that.

They get to learn aerospace, everything and learning how to be a pilot.

Before you get your license, you, you can be soloing.

Martin: We put them in the air no matter what if you're a cadet and you want to fly, we put you in the air.

Part of the aerospace education effort, at least in the Hawaii wing is to provide ground school or try and get cadets excited about trying to get their private pilot's license or, or getting them prepared for maybe more direct aviation degrees or interests.

So it really pays off in that sense that just the exposure and the skills that they learn.

Like, when you watch one of those cadets that you've been teaching for a year, or a year and a half, or however long they tend, sometimes some of them are faster, and the minute they put on, you know, the real officer epaulets, and they'd stand up, it's like, every single one of them I've seen do that all of a sudden, they just kind of do this a little bit.

Like something about it just snaps.

And all of that work that they put into it turns them into a different person, like their character development is palpably visible, and you're just kind of like, wow, this is cool.

Definitely.

I get my reward.

No one's gonna tell me that I contributed to that, but I get the reward from it.

So I like that and that's good stuff.

Anthony: When I joined high school, I joined our school's Civil Air Patrol Program.

What I've learned since then is leadership, being able to public speak, talk in front of various amounts of people, presentation skills, that's on the leadership side with aerospace, learned about the physics of flying, different things that the aircraft can do.

And it also inspired me to pursue my private pilot's license, which I'm currently doing right now.

So just learning about the aspect of aviation was a huge part of it.

Zechariah: So when I joined CAP, I was kind of a hot mess, didn't really know what to do.

But when I joined through the well-trained other cadets, and through some time and hard work, it has been a completely life changing experience.

I have now learned plenty of leadership skills, public speaking skills.

When it comes to aerospace, I've learned amazing amounts.

I've gotten to fly and I would not know where I'd be right now without Civil Air Patrol.

Ayden: Personally, I would like to join the military as a pilot when I get older.

And I think that Civil Air Patrol will help me a lot, because I already know some of the skills that I would need to know.

And it will help guide me through this process.

Stacy: You know, I grew up here, it's challenging to find a decent paying job.

The aerospace career field gives a lot of opportunities.

And not just as pilots, you could be an aviation mechanic, air traffic controller, you could become an aerospace engineer, you could be a computer programmer/network engineer, there's a whole lot of different areas.

And again, it helps give the the young folks and 12 to 18 year olds an opportunity to explore those career opportunities before they sink a lot of money into it.

And so again, it gives them a chance to find a job here in Hawaii, that could potentially allow them to live here without having to worry about getting two or three additional jobs.

So again, it's great for the current capabilities for saving lives as well as you know, let's take care of our, our descendants to make sure that they can enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life here in Hawaii.

My hope for the future for the Hawaii Wing to continue to grow, to continue to help the people of Hawaii and to again, try to help the youth to make sure that they have a great future here in Hawaii, pursuing a passion that they love.

Kalai: Thank you for joining us.

Head to PBS Hawaii dot org for bonus features from this episode.

For Home is Here, I’m Kalai Miller, a hui hou.

Audrey: Nice.

Very Handsome float.

Good job, Thor!

Eileen: I rather do flowers than cook.

I'm a terrible cook so I love flowers.

Stacy: If you have a passion for anything tied to aerospace, and it could be flying, it could be communications, radio communications, it could be computer networking, anything along those lines, please check us out.