Firewise program works toward united approach to wildfire readiness and resilience

Homesteaders and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands staff participated in panel discussions and workshops centered on the latest wildfire research at the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit in Kona.

After illegal fireworks set a hillside in Papakōlea on Oʻahu ablaze, Noel Shaw was ready to make a change, leading her to starting the Firewise program.

“Because we had Lahaina, we were even more sensitive to the realities of what a fire like what happened on New Year’s could have resulted in for our community,” said Shaw, a Kalāwahine homesteader and Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise member. “We saw all the loss in Lahaina, and we saw the need after, and that’s why it was even more urgent.”

Hosted by the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit was designed to unite leaders and collaborators statewide. Participants discussed the latest research and innovative strategies for wildfire preparedness, mitigation, and management in Hawaiʻi.

“The goal is to take a forward-looking and united approach to wildfire readiness and resilience,” said Nani Barretto, co-executive director of Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization. “As HWMO often says, we all have a role to play, and this event was created for us to learn and grow together.”

Two homestead communities were recognized for their efforts, commitment and contributions to the Firewise program during the summit last Thursday.

Nā Leo O Papakōlea Firewise, a group comprising homesteaders from the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine homesteads on Oʻahu, were recipients of the Firestarter Award; which recognized the group’s accelerated efforts to assemble a Firewise team. Kahikinui’s Firewise team received the Trailblazer Award for its hazardous waste removal project on Maui.

Mike Mundon, a Puʻukapu lessee and HWMO team member, was the recipient of the Spirit Award.

“We deeply value our partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and commend their proactive efforts to ensure the safety of their communities,” said Barretto.

Homesteaders and Department of Hawaiian Homelands staff held panel discussions and presented the measures being implemented at both the community and department level for fire mitigation initiatives, such as green-waste cleanups, community organizing and individual home assessments.

Of the more than 50 homesteads across the pae ʻāina (archipelago), only four are nationally recognized as Firewise:

• Kailapa, Hawaiʻi Island: Established 2016
• Puʻukapu, Hawaiʻi Island: Established 2018
• Kahikinui, Maui: Established 2016
• Waiohuli, Maui: Established 2016

Three homesteads are currently undergoing the Firewise recognition process: Leialiʻi and Paukukalo on Maui, and Papakōlea on Oʻahu.

“The success of the Firewise program lies in its ability to empower our communities. It gives our homesteads, and its leaders, the tools, strategies and support they need to mitigate wildfire risks in their own backyard,” said Kali Watson, director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. “Through collaborative efforts with HWMO, the department aims to ensure every homestead is well-prepared against the threat of wildfires.”

Shaw hopes continued community engagement ignites a call for action.

“Being fire prepared and stewarding our ‘āina collectively is the dream,” said Shaw. “I think it will bring generations back to what they knew and into what they should be knowing for the future”.