MPD pledges action on fire safety gear for officers, but timeline for distribution unclear

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - MPD’s preliminary after-action report on the Lahaina wildfire confirmed most responding officers didn’t have basic equipment needed to keep them safe.

That’s poised to change, but there’s still no timeline for when the gear will go out into the field.

One of the recommendations in that preliminary report was to create “go bags” with personal protective equipment so that officers are prepared in the event of future fires.

Body camera video captured Aug. 8 showed the crippling effects smoke had on Maui police officers as they repeatedly risked their safety to protect property and save lives.

“They didn’t have the proper masks to ensure they were able to breath safely,” said SHOPO spokesperson Dustin DeRollo. “Our expectation is that given that this is a known problem, that it would have been solved by now.”

Maui Police Department leadership says they’re still working to figure out exactly what type of supplies officers will need. In a statement, MPD Assistant Chief Gregg Okamoto said, “We continue to review the multitude of equipment that the go bags may contain.”

Okamoto also told HNN Investigates the department’s “unable to purchase equipment” until the upcoming budget is “finalized, funding is confirmed and proper procurement protocols followed.”

MPD said it’s requesting $108,500 for the “go bags” as well as things like no-drip battle dress uniforms, face coverings and other protective items.

DeRollo said with the peak of fire season fast approaching, there’s no time to waste.

“Why are we waiting,” DeRollo asked.

“We would have expected in this budget for them to make a very big deal about the fact that we’re checking this off the list,” said “That’s something we said we’re going to do. And here it is.”

DeRollo also pointed to MPD Chief John Pelletier’s recent pitch to the county council for a helicopter program, saying the chief should bring that same passion to the fire safety gear.

“The county has access to funding,” added DeRollo. “It’s called a contingency budget in case things come up that they didn’t anticipate.”

HNN Investigates offered the chief an opportunity to respond to union’s statement.

In an email Okamoto said on behalf of the chief, the fiscal year 2025 budget was turned in months ago, “but if we can find available monies in our current FY24 budget we will draw from there instead. We wouldn’t ask for contingency funding if we can use budgeted monies.”

Meanwhile, the union notes this isn’t the first time MPD failed to equip its officers with proper respiratory protection. Complaints were filed with Hawaii’s Occupational Safety and Health Division after another fire in 2018 where close to two dozen homes burned.

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