Image Courtesy of Firewise USA®
Congratulations to the 11 Hawaiʻi Firewise Communities that that recently renewed their national certifications!
These communities include:
Hawaiʻi Island Communities:
Honokoa
Kanehoa
Kohala by the Sea
Kohala Waterfront
Puʻukapu
Waialea
Waikiʻi Ranch
Waikoloa Village
Maui Communities:
Launiupoko
Waiohuli
Kahikinui
Oahu Communities:
Kamilonui-Mariner’s Cove
These Firewise communities continue to work towards their own safety and longevity by mitigating their fire risk. This can include removal of hazardous vegetation, wildfire education within the community, constructing or modifying homes to include Firewise materials, and loads more!
HWMO wants to say Mahalo to all of Hawaiʻi’s Firewise Communities for their persistent wildfire mitigation work. This work is helping to make Hawaiian communities safer and more adapted to the increasing presence of wildfire in the Hawaiian landscape. The costs of wildfire impacts can be much greater than the initial costs of damage to structures. These Costs can also include the damage to infrastructures, ecosystems, landscapes, community values and relationships, and way of life. Addressing these risks proactively is very wise, especially in fire-prone environments.
Special Shoutout to Hawaiʻi’s Oldest Firewise Community!
Congratulations Kohala by the Sea Firewise Community!
We would like to give a special shout-out to Hawaiʻi’s most long-standing Firewise Community: Kohala by the Sea! They have just completed their 15th year in a row of Firewise certification, and are a great model of what it means to be firewise. There is no defined end-point for communities striving to live more safely with fire because the work is never finished. At the heart of the process is the action of collaboration, planning, coordinated action, and proactive effort. This sustained effort is what it means to a truly successful Firewise Community.