Booth Events

K-Mart Kona Safety Event

Future firefighter all bundled up.

September and October are prime times of the year for safety awareness and preparedness. Fire Prevention Week is October 4-10 this year and September was National Preparedness Month. This past weekend, K-Mart sponsored a National Safety Event by hosting various groups to set-up in-front of the store to prepare customers for emergencies.

On Saturday, October 3rd, HWMO reached out to a number of customers who were pleasantly surprised to find activities and giveaways for keiki and wildfire prep information for the whole family. A few excited future-firefighters dressed up in wildland fire gear and posed for Polaroid photos they could take home and keep as a memory. 

No question he's ready for firefighting action.

Wildland Firefighter photo also comes in Polaroid (which the keiki get to keep!)

Our neighbors from the Department of Public Health were a group of friendly nurses who shared information with families about child seat and seat belt safety. Hawaii Police Department and Hawaii Fire Department joined nurses in the parking lot to conduct free child seat inspections for customers, as well.

Preparedness season doesn't stop there. HWMO will be setting up at this year's Kohala Mountain Pumpkin Patch on October 10th from 10a to 5p.

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Wiliwili Festival 2015

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Our booth was featured in West Hawaii Today's photo gallery of the Wiliwili Festival 2015. "Pablo Beimler of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, right, offers a pohinahina start to Mia Wright and her daughter Kara at the Wiliwili Festival sponsored by the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative Saturday at Waikoloa Stables. Laura Shimabuku/West Hawaii Today"

Every year, a spectacular bloom occurs that brightens Waikoloa Village. The Wiliwili tree showcases its beautiful orange blossoms every September, a bloom that is becoming more and more vibrant thanks to the efforts of the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative (WDFI). For years, the wiliwili populations have been hit hard by a number of factors including development, drought, and wildfires bringing them to the fringe of extinction. Our friends from WDFI are doing amazing work restoring the dryland forest where wiliwili trees once thrive. 

Family stops by to learn components of the fire triangle.

To celebrate an early arrival to the blossoms this year, WDFI threw their annual Wiliwili Festival at the Waikoloa Stables on September 12th. A number of field tours gave visitors the opportunity to see the invaluable restoration project that HWMO has helped protect by providing fuelbreak funding and expertise. HWMO maintained tradition by having a wildfire outreach booth complete with giveaways for keiki, including new Kaleo the Pueo coloring sheets, a Keiki Wildland Firefighter Photo Shoot, and native plant lessons. The young visitors of the festival participated in a scavenger hunt that included a lesson about the fire triangle. HWMO's Pablo Beimler handed 3 pieces of a deceptively tricky puzzle to keiki who stopped by. They solved the puzzles at their own rates, but each one walked away knowing that the fire triangle consisted of 3 parts: oxygen, ignition (heat), and fuel!

All smiles at the HWMO Keiki Wildland Firefighter Shoot!

Fire triangle puzzle solving in action.

At around 12:30 p.m., Pablo gave a Ready, Set, Go! workshop to about a dozen interested community members about the benefits of planting native and adapted plants around the home. Benefits included: 

  • Decreased maintenance needs
  • Lower water bill
  • Beautification of property
  • Perpetuation of important cultural resources
  • and Protection of the home from wildfire

Mahalo nui to our friends from WDFI for putting on such an informative, interactive event that featured the great work going on all around the island! 

Ewa Beach Emergency Prep Fair

Sam Patten getting visitors to sign up for our newsletter.

After visiting a number of schools in Kauai, HWMO hopped on over to Oahu on September 5th for the 5th annual Ewa Beach Emergency Preparedness Fair at the Ewa Makai Middle School. Over a thousand people stopped by this year's fair, generating a buzz that did not go unnoticed. Dozens of booths showcasing preparedness tips for various types of emergencies gave proactive families and individuals the chance to prepare early for the next scenario - whether it be hurricanes, flash floods, heart attacks, tsunamis, and...you guessed it, wildfires!

Our partners from Honolulu FD give fire extinguisher trainings to all ages.

HWMO had a travel-sized version of our usual outreach booth and had hundreds of visitors with the help of Honolulu Fire Department's exciting outreach next door. While HFD held fire extinguisher trainings and smoke alarm education, HWMO's Board of Director Sam Patten and Outreach Coordinator Pablo Beimler spoke to children, parents, teachers, community leaders and anyone else who was interested in learning more about wildfire prevention and preparedness.

A highly successful event with a very diverse crowd, the Ewa Beach Fair proved to be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience that will open the door for new outreach opportunities in the area.  

Banner Photo: Scores of proactive visitors stopped by the HWMO booth, keeping us busy.

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Waikoloa Back-to-School Bash 2015

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Dressing up in wildland fire gear and posing in front of Kaleo the Pueo (and cotton candy enthusiasts!)

This summer went by fast! It was only yesterday when we were participating in end-of-the-school-year events. On Saturday, July 25, we traveled down to Waikoloa School for this year's Back-To-School Bash. Hundreds of keiki and their ʻohana joined the festivities, gathering free books from Friends of the Library, climbing a 30-foot rock wall, indulging in cotton candy, and more. The fun didn't stop there, many visitors stopped by our booth to learn about Firewise native plants and to dress up like wildland firefighters. Each kid that dressed-up in the gear took home a Polaroid photo of them, complements of HWMO (along with Kaleo the Pueo stickers and Smokey the Bear giveaways). We even got to catch-up with our Ocean Warriors students who helped us put on the Kaleo the Pueo play back in April.

Looks like the Polaroid camera is on us now!

July 4th Parker Ranch Rodeo & Horse Races 2015

HWMO featured on bottom right as Food Drive collection center for Kokua Christian Ministries.

There are two days in Hawaii that have the most wildfires per year on average: New Year's Eve and…July 4th. Safe firework use not only saves lives but prevents wildfires, as well. 

We brought our outreach booth down the road to the Parker Ranch Arena for this year's July 4th Parker Rodeo & Horse Races. Our team came out in full force with the help of volunteers Mark & John from Waikoloa CERT who passed out our Fireworks Safety Brochures and Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Wildland Fire Action Guides to event attendees. We also were the Food Drive collection center for the event, reeling in canned goods from generous people who supported Waimea's own Kokua Christian Ministries' good work to feed those in need in Kohala.

Young firefighter watches in awe as Polaroid come to life.

A few kids stopped by our booth to learn about native Firewise plants that we displayed in front of our table. Some even dressed up in wildland firefighter gear and took home a Polaroid photo of them in the gear - quite entertaining to watch the shock and wonder of young ones as they watched their image slowly appear in front of their eyes like a specter. At the end of the event as everyone in attendance walked past our booth, we passed out a hundred or so Kaleo the Pueo stickers to promote our new wildfire prevention mascot!

Girl looks at front cover of Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Guide.

OWIE Oahu Media Event

National Weather Service rep talks about chance of active wildfire season with press.

We had the privilege of speaking to multiple media sources including KHON, KITV, Hawaii News Now, and Honolulu Star Advertiser at a media event on May 27th organized by our partners from Honolulu Fire Department. Representatives from HFD, Honolulu Police Department, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, National Weather Service, UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension, and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization worked together to stress the importance of wildfire prevention and taking necessary steps to protect the home and family from fire.

It has already been a busy wildfire season for Oahu, with 4 brush fires burning last Saturday alone (one of which threatened homes near Makakilo). 

Featuring Kaleo the Pueo at our media outreach booth.

Wildfire season is year round in Hawaii, but this is peak season and it looks like it will be a long, active one. 

Kaleo the Pueo is helping us get the word across, especially to our youth, about the importance of wildfire prevention and preparedness. We were able to showcase Kaleo to the media at an information booth at the event.

Check out the media's coverage of the event here:

http://khon2.com/2015/05/27/hfd-warns-of-brush-fire-risk-as-dry-conditions-approach/

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150528_Extreme_dry_conditions_prompt_wildfire_warnings.html?id=305287701&id=305287701&c=n

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BioBlitz Cultural Festival at Hawaii Volcanoes 2015

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Every year, National Geographic helps put together a BioBlitz event, with the host park changing each time. This year, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was the host for the 2015 BioBlitz. The BioBlitz is "a 24-hour event in which teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as possible," as described by National Geographic.

Pablo Beimler lets each student from Pahoa make a friend with a native Firewise plant.

As a way to help bridge science and culture, the 2015 Cultural Festival was held in conjunction with the event. On May 15th, the first day of the event, scores of students, teachers, and volunteers visited the festival after going out in the field and identifying natural resources. Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization was there to host a number of the students by playing a Firewise Plant Game Show. Students were shown a few different plants that ranged from "good," "ok," or "bad" Firewise plants. The "future landscapers" had to help us determine the ranking score for each plant, many of which were native to Hawaiʻi.

Scratching heads while trying to decide if jade and ʻihi oʻahu are good Firewise plants.

The second day of the event, May 16th, brought in a different audience: the general public. Thousands swung by the festival, many of whom stopped by our booth to learn about wildfires in Hawaiʻi and how residents could use native Firewise plants to help protect their homes from wildfire. Visitors were intrigued by the plants, including ʻihi oʻahu (delicate succulent with beautiful purple flowers), ʻohelo papa (native edible strawberry), and ʻalaʻala wai nui (a peperomia with fuzzy leaves and branches that protect it from the sun). 

Kilauea Volcano gets active during Keiki Wildland Firefighter photo-shoot.

We also had a few keiki dress-up in wildland firefighter gear donated by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Each young firefighter was able to take home a Polaroid photo (yes, they still exist!) with the active Kilauea Caldera in the distance. 

The unique event drew upwards of 5,000 people, making it one of our most visible events, yet.

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Waikoloa Village Association Annual Meeting 2015

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Through your help, we can help make communities like Waikoloa safer from wildfires.

Through your help, we can help make communities like Waikoloa safer from wildfires.

Our partnership with Waikoloa Village Association (WVA) has been running strong for the past decade, most recently highlighted by our support for fuels reduction throughout various empty lots in the Village. We are even funding a pilot grazing project within the Village, using the Big Island Goat Dozers as a sustainable way of reducing the fuels among empty lots.

We were able to talk about these recent efforts along with other wildfire preparedness information at an information booth at the entrance of the WVA Annual Meeting at Waikoloa Elementary School on May 9th. Hundreds of residents filtered through the doorway, many of them stopping by our outreach booth. We even pulled in $100 worth of donations from grateful residents. It's through community support that we are able to continue our successful projects, so if you'd like to join in and become a part of the HWMO team, please DONATE. 

Banner photo: Hundreds of residents participated in the meeting, many of whom stopped by our booth to learn about wildfire preparedness.

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Wildfire Prep Day 2015

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For the 2nd straight year, communities from across the nation gathered together to take action to reduce the wildfire hazards in their neighborhoods. We joined in on the national effort by organizing our second Wildfire Prep Day event at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park next to the community pool in Waikoloa on May 2nd. Within three hours of the morning, we were able to accomplish quite a lot with our partners and community members, working towards the goals of having a heightened wildfire awareness and a well-developed preparedness skill set. 

The event started off with a few words from our Board president, Mike Tomich, highlighting the need for wildfire preparedness in the most fire-prone area in the State of Hawaiʻi. This was not new news to many of the event's visitors, who had experienced some of the largest fires in history first-hand. 

HWMO President (on left) Mike Tomich talks about importance of wildfire preparedness.

Nice, sunny day with moderate windy conditions - practicing situational awareness or "Set" of the Ready, Set, Go! Program

Following the opening speech, we held a Firefighter Meet-and-Greet where community members and keiki were able to explore the wonders of the fire engine and ambulance on hand. Hawaii Fire Department firefighters gave tours of the apparatuses and even let the kids get their hands on the steering wheel (though with ignition off, of course!) 

Keiki learn the ins and outs of firefighting equipment from local HFD firefighters.

Future fire engine operator?

Waikoloa CERT members soak in the sun.

After the tours, people were able to interact with members from Waikoloa CERT, National Fire Protection and Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, who all set-up booths for the event. We also had a Keiki Craft Corner where kids were able to color in new Kaleo the Pueo art and create wildfire prevention signs. 

The second half of the event focused attention on the Firewise demo garden. Tom Loomis, Garden Manager and Firewise teacher extraordinaire, led a group of keiki through a Firewise Plant Game Show. While Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative's Jess held a plant in hand, Tom described the plant to the keiki to help them determine whether a plant was a good Firewise plant, a neutral one, or a bad one. The keiki translated these into smiley faces on their score cards. We showed them a variety of plants including "happy face" plants like ʻaʻaliʻi, ʻilima oʻahu, and kuluʻī; "neutral face" plants like dill and ʻawa; and "sad face" plants like pepper tree and pili grass. The students were spot-on with their landscaping decisions, knowing that plants that were drought-tolerant, native, and wind-resistant were the best candidates for becoming part of our Firewise garden.

Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative's Jess holds a sandalwood (ʻiliahi) during the Firewise Plant Game Show.

Getting a feel for kuluʻī and its heat-resistant silvery leaves.

Local HFD firefighters help plant various native plants like kuluʻī in our Firewise garden.

This led us into the final segment of the preparedness day event: a native planting volunteer session. Firefighters, keiki, CERT members, and others took part in getting their hands dirty (and rocky) by planting 75+ native plants to demonstrate how easy and enjoyable planting natives in the garden could be.

Wildfire Prep Day was a huge success nationally and here at the local level. We thank all of our amazing partners for their support of the event: Hawaii Fire Department, Waikoloa CERT, Waikoloa Firewise Committee, Waikoloa Village Association, Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, National Fire Protection, and National Fire Protection Agency. 

Getting silly with our amazing partners and volunteers!

Poetry Slam (Featuring Kaleo the Pueo)

Kaleo the Pueo continued to break through the media circuit, this time through a unique blend of the arts and wildfire prevention. Our new wildfire prevention mascot could be spotted all across the island in a beautiful flyer put together by Poetic Connect's Cassandra Wagner and Josh Horan. Kaleo was front-and-center on the flyer, showcasing his colorful, fiery wings in front of a microphone, holding water in one wing and fire in the other. Poetic Connect is "a movement to promote the performance and creation of poetry while cultivating literary activities and spoken word events." If you want to get a better sense of what they're about, there are a number of videos from their island-wide poetry slams, some of which include HWMO's very own Education & Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler. 

The flyer that helped make Kaleo the Pueo famous!

On April 25th, HWMO co-sponsored the latest poetry slam, which took place at the "Green Church" in Waimea. Dozens of poets and supporters took part in the performances. Many stopped by our outreach table to learn more about wildfire prevention and what Kaleo the Pueo was all about. The Fourth Place runner-up even received a free Kaleo the Pueo t-shirt and hat! 

Big mahalo to Poetic Connect for their amazing support for our efforts and for getting Kaleo the Pueo's name out to the public!

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of protection.””
— Chief Eric Moller, USAG-P, FES