Wildfire safety begins with learning
by Kristen Okinaka | May 2, 2025
May is National Wildfire Awareness Month dedicated to prevention and preparedness.
The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) says over 99% of all wildfires in Hawaii are human-caused, and wildfire safety begins with learning about wildfire and safety.
That’s why federal, state and county leaders, experts, utilities, emergency response agencies, critical service providers, and community organizations have been working together to learn from each other, develop solutions, and share resources to lessen the risk of wildfires and keep communities safe.
Last April, Hawaiian Electric hosted a two-day technical Wildfire Safety Symposium focused on reducing Hawaii’s wildfire risk. Representatives from more than 88 organizations shared insights about collective actions to keep communities safe, discussed Hawaii’s wildfire risk areas, near-term mitigation actions, operational and emergency response needs, and proposed long-term strategies for safety and grid resilience.
This February, HWMO hosted the Hawaii Wildfire Summit in partnership with federal, state and county agencies. The two-day summit brought together more than 300 wildfire professionals, community leaders, and experts from diverse sectors to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and advance strategies for wildfire resilience across the state. It was an opportunity for participants to be part of the conversation, contribute insights, and collaborate on solutions for wildfire prevention and preparedness.
“Wildfire in Hawaii has become a critical issue, with unprecedented attention,” said Elizabeth Pickett, HWMO’s co-executive director. “The time to commit to a wildfire-ready and wildfire-resilient future is here.”
Panels included “Why the Built Environment Matters,” “Firewise Communities in Action,” “Integrating Wildfire Safety into Our Future,” “Land Management & Wildfire Resistance,” “Fire Weather, Red Flag Warnings, & New Technology,” and “Lessons We Are Learning.”
Two pathways were offered on the second day: “Community Resilience, Land Stewardship, Policy” for those involved in preparedness and mitigation; and “Fire and Emergency Service” for those focused on operational response best practices.
Hawaiian Electric shared its 2025–2027 Wildfire Safety Strategy which includes actions we’re taking to reduce the risk of wildfires igniting from our equipment and to improve situational awareness by deploying weather stations and a network of AI-assisted video camera stations.
I was inspired by the efforts of HWMO’s 31 Firewise communities on three islands. Residents take ownership and work together to prepare for wildfires and make their neighborhoods more resilient. Current projects include organizing curbside chipper days, green waste dumpsters, common space workdays, and home assessments. Earlier this year, Hawaiian Electric partnered with HWMO to help fund Firewise coordinator positions across the state.
The message was clear: Everyone is responsible for wildfire prevention and preparedness. We need to look at how we manage our landscape, how we build our communities, how we build and fireproof our homes and property, how we use our lands, how we manage fuels and environment, how we prevent ignitions, how we monitor weather conditions, how we develop public policy, and how we prepare for and respond to emergencies.
HWMO has been building for this level of readiness for 25 years, and Pickett believes that we already have many of the solutions. Collaboration is key.
Events like the symposium and summit are opportunities for us to come together, share experiences, learn from each other, and develop solutions. It was reassuring to see how we’re taking action and making progress together.
Our Wildfire Safety Strategy will be enhanced and refined as we learn more from experts, partners, stakeholders, and communities. We’ll continue to collaborate with emergency response agencies, emergency responders, and organizations to help communities prevent and prepare for wildfires and other emergencies.
Kristen Okinaka is a senior communications specialist for Hawaiian Electric on Hawaii Island.
