Firefighters, emergency planners have turned lessons learned in Lahaina into action

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One year after the Lahaina wildfire disaster, emergency management planners and fire departments statewide have made significant changes to how they respond to brush fire calls — as communities have also banded together to take steps to decrease their risks. But officials say more work is needed to protect life and property.

The Lahaina disaster claimed 102 lives and destroyed a historic town that authorities acknowledge will take decades to rebuild. A year after the inferno tore through Lahaina, the lessons learned from the disaster have translated into action statewide.

On Oahu, the Honolulu Fire Department has overhauled how it responds to brush fires, dialing up resources sent to every blaze and developing contingency plans aimed at preparing for the “worst-case scenario” that Hawaii saw become a reality on Aug. 8, 2023.

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On Kauai, the fire department purchased new equipment and sought to improve cross-departmental communication for fires. Other tactics: Ensuring that roads can be used as defenses to stop fires from spreading and working with property owners to cut back vegetation.

And on Hawaii Island, where high wildfire risks cover huge swaths of land, residents and emergency management officials are working together because neither can do it alone.

Honolulu Fire Chief Kalani Hao said his department took the lessons learned from Lahaina seriously. “By nature, we always think worst-case scenario. And I guess now, that (Lahaina) is the worst-case scenario.” Hao said. “So when we come up with our plans, contingency plans, and our planning process, it just reminds us that we have to take it to the nth-degree.”

Previous Coverage:

• To improve wildfire response, Oahu first responders are now focused on the ‘worst-case scenario’
• On Hawaii Island, government and citizens are joining forces to better prepare for wildfires
• During busy fire season, Kauai first responders showcase new tools and protocols

HFD’s fire chief says since Aug. 8, the Honolulu Fire Department reevaluated operations, changing the way it responds to all brush fires. “What we’ve done is start sending two engines and a tanker to all wildland calls to make sure we can get the resources there fast,” said Hao.

“Before only one engine would be sent initially.”

A map published by the Pacific Fire Exchange pinpoints the places wildfires sparked between 1999 and 2018. While several broke out in East Honolulu and Wahiawa, the majority occurred on the west side — between Kapolei and Kaena Point — and mauka in the forest reserves.

Board of Water Supply spokesperson Kathleen Pahinui said the agency is working with the Honolulu Fire Department to identify more places for so-called dip pads, or places where helicopters can refill water totes and cut the distance crews have to fly in an emergency.

The Board of Water Supply has also planed a review to install more fire hydrants, saying there’s a need — particularly in older communities where hydrant spacing doesn’t meet current standards.

Meanwhile, Honolulu Fire says it also now increases staffing during red flag warnings. On those days, the county will activate its Emergency Operations Center if a wind advisory is also in effect.

“Prior to Lahaina the trigger was a little bit higher,” said Hiro Toiya, the head of Honolulu’s Emergency Management Agency. He said the county is currently working with the military to make the Kole Kole pass a viable evacuation route for the Waianae Coast. Work is also underway with private landowners in Makakilo to create an emergency road out of that community as well.

Another priority: More collaboration between departments and training for emergency management workers. “A system cannot be dependent on me to function,” Toiya said. “But rather we have to have these clear protocols in place so that regardless who’s on duty we get consistent results and do what we need to do to alert the public.”

On Kauai, firefighters have already been busy this dry season.

Kauai Fire Department Chief Mike Gibson said there is a limit to what first responders can do.

“We can hold a fire in check if it doesn’t have great wind behind it. But one that had great wind behind it, the most we can do is alert people in evacuate,” Gibson told HNN Investigates.

That’s exactly what happened July 15 when people in Kaumakani were told to leave after flames broke out in Hanapepe scorching one structure and upwards of 1,100 acres.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said preventive actions make a difference. “If all other means fail, that last line of defense oftentimes are county roads and state highways. If we’re not maintaining the shoulders, it increases the chance of these fires jumping over that road,” he said.

It’s why the county recently spent nearly $2.7 million on wildfire mitigation equipment, and is working with large property owners to reduce fuel and cut fire breaks. The county is also purchasing more firefighting equipment, including two, 2,000-gallon water tenders.

And in another change: The department now assigns an extra firefighter to each of its eight stations the moment there’s a red flag warning, fire or hurricane advisory.

Kauai’s Emergency Management Agency also changed its protocols for wildfires, activating the emergency operations center automatically whenever a red flag warning is issued.

And the county is using N5 sensors as well that can detect fire and notify dispatch.

In the year since the Lahaina wildfire disaster, Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency implemented additional training for emergency management staff with a focus on messaging and the use of the public alert warning system.

Additionally, the Hawaii County Fire Department now ups its staffing during red flag warnings. And the county’s emergency operations center is also activated earlier.

Fire mitigation projects are underway, too. “The Department of Transportation has put in about 30 miles worth of fuel breaks around some high fire danger areas,” including in Kohala Ranch Estates, Kailapa, Waimea and Waikoloa, said Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno.

The community is also stepping up to make a difference.

Seventy-three volunteers with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, spent 4,000 hours bolstering this fuel break on the mauka side of Waikoloa Village.

And something unique: A portion of Waikoloa Village’s homeowners association fees are solely used for fire protection. The county is also working with private land owners to create an emergency road that would allow connect to Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

One thing everyone agrees on: When it comes to wildfire disaster preparedness, government can’t do it alone. “Folks need to plan for themselves as well,” Magno said. “What are you going to do? Do you have defensible space that your house will be protected or do you need to leave?”

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