The first thing Kenneth Silva did after he was chosen as Honolulu's next fire chief was call his mother.

She's the one who made his dream of joining the Fire Department a reality 24 years ago.

"I called my mom and said I really appreciate the sacrifices she made for me," Silva said.

Back then, the new chief was fresh out of Kamehameha Schools — Class of '78 — and headed for a junior college in California. But his mother, Lydia, knew that the Fire Department entrance exam was scheduled for two weeks after his departure.

And she knew that her son longed to become a firefighter.

"We could barely afford to send me to school," Silva recalled. "My mom was a waitress and she knew how much I wanted to be a firefighter. She saved her tips on the side and didn't tell my dad. She bought me a ticket back."

Silva returned to Honolulu, but stayed with friends. He took the test, then returned to the Mainland.

When he transferred to the University of Hawai'i two years later, Silva was invited to join the department.

And while he put college on hold until he finished recruit training, Silva ultimately graduated from UH by going to classes on his days off. He also earned a master's degree in public administration.

He eventually told his father, Howard, a Hawaiian Tuna Packers employee. His father, seeing Silva rise through the ranks, would tell him with a smile that being a firefighter was a good job.

Silva, a 45-year-old husband and father of two, grew up in Pacific Palisades. Most of his family, though, lived along the Leeward Coast — his father is from Makaha and his mother from Ma'ili — and he developed a strong tie to the community there.

That helped him a decade ago when he was a captain at the Wai'anae fire station. He said his five years there are his favorites as a firefighter.

"We worked hard, no doubt about that," he said. "We had a good crew. We were very close. And we felt we were making a difference in the community."

But his worst experience as a firefighter occurred along the same coastline. He and his crew had to remove five bodies from a van that caught fire after it careened off the highway at Yokohama Beach in 1994. The bodies were burned beyond recognition, he said. Firefighters are trained for a lot of things, but not everything, he said.

"Nobody is ever prepared for some things," he said. "We are human beings."

But he was trained to respond to the largest mass casualty situation in the modern history of the Fire Department — the May 1999 Mother's Day landslide at Sacred Falls. Eight people were killed and 50 injured when rocks and boulders roared down on the popular swimming spot.

Silva was a battalion chief and became the incident commander that day.

As he was driving up the dirt road to the trailhead, Silva saw a stream of injured, bleeding hikers. It reminded him of a war movie.

"I still think about that," he said. "I'm glad the department had equipped me to do a good job. And I believe I was placed there for a purpose: to help bring order out of chaos."

It is no surprise then that Silva is a religious man. He belongs to New Hope Christian Fellowship, attends regular Bible study sessions and doesn't believe a person needs to swear to communicate.

"I think that is an influence I want to emphasize," he said. "I think it brings a lot to the table in terms of ethics and morals. I believe in a higher standard."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.