As the island braced for dangerous surf, holiday revelry, heavy traffic and fireworks, Honolulu's mayor, police chief, fire chief, emergency medical services director and head of the Department of Emergency Management sent a message to O'ahu residents: enjoy the holidays, but most of all — be safe.

Police Chief Louis Kealoha led the way at a City Hall press conference yesterday, urging O'ahu motorists to avoid drinking and driving.

"Have a designated driver or call a cab — think about safety for yourself and others," Kealoha said.

Fire Chief Kenneth Silva followed up with a brief list of safety tips from his department.

• Turn off all Christmas lights and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

• Never leave cooking unattended on the stove.

• Avoid the use of candles as much as possible.

• Smoke alarms, batteries and fire extinguishers make great last-minute gifts.

Emergency Services Director Dr. Libby Char said that with very large surf headed toward O'ahu once again, beachgoers should heed the advice of city lifeguards.

Mel Kaku, head of the city Department of Emergency Management, also recommended that beachgoers use extreme caution around the waves, which are expected to be in excess of 20 feet by today.

"We're expecting a lot of people and lots of foot traffic as well as vehicle traffic," especially along the North Shore, Kaku said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann used the occasion to ask Honolulu residents to look out for one another, saying many homes on O'ahu are occupied by senior citizens or single parents with young children.

Hannemann urged neighbors to "take the extra step to make sure those folks are safe."

"We ask you to be the eyes and ears of our family of first-reponders," Hannemann said.

The mayor also put in a special request on behalf of President Obama, who will be staying at a private home in Kailua for the next 10 days.

"We will do our best to make sure we mitigate traffic concerns" that arise from presidential motorcades, Hannemann said.

And he also asked O'ahu residents to respect Obama's privacy, noting that the president has "had a tough year."

"We ask the people of the City and County of Honolulu to be understanding," Hannemann said.

Kealoha, meanwhile, said he expects police overtime costs associated with the president's visit to be about the same as they were last year when then president-elect Obama visited over the Christmas holidays. A preliminary estimate pegs the cost of providing extra security for the president and his family at about $100,000, Kealoha said.

Meanwhile, the police and fire chiefs said their departments continue to support a total ban on fireworks, other than holiday shows operated by licensed fireworks professionals.