Community Assessments

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Puako Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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HWMO, HFD, and Puako Firewise Committee teamed up to conduct a hazard assessment on December 2.

On December 2, Puako Firewise Committee checked another major box off the list to become a Firewise Community as of 2016 (neighboring Waialea is also on pace for certification this year). Committee members, along with HWMO and Hawaii Fire Department, caravanned through the subdivision to note common wildfire hazards and good Firewise practices already being implemented.

Although the community has taken major steps towards wildfire protection by creating a large fuelbreak on the mauka side of the subdivision, homes are still at-risk of wildfires, especially from lofted embers. There is still much work that should be done directly behind homes on the mauka side — the Puako Firewise Committee is ready to take on this challenge as one of their next steps for the coming year. For now, the committee is bracing for a Firewise Community certification that has been a long time coming for them. 

Puako Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 12/2/16
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Kahikinui Ready, Set, Go! Workshop and Firewise Hazard Assessment

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Assessment team poses in front of a local example of xeriscaping using Firewise principles and native/adapted plants.

Kahikinui continued its incredible year of wildfire protection efforts on November 6, 2016. The homestead on the southern slopes of Haleakala on Maui is a small, but very active community that is on pace to become one of the first Firewise Communities on the island (and one of the first Hawaiian homesteads in the state). As one of the requirements, HWMO, Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership, and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands conducted a wildfire hazard assessment with Kahikinui Firewise Committee members. Together, they drove around the bumpy 4-WD roads of the community to take note of common wildfire hazards and good Firewise practices already being implemented. The greatest concerns were the high fuel loads on the highway, between homes, and in the surrounding wildland areas. Lack of water resources and firefighting access and ingress/egress were also noticeable concerns.

Assessment team walks the perimeter of a Firewise home within the community.

The Kahikinui Firewise Committee is already planning and working on multiple projects to address these concerns. With a contribution from Sempra Auwahi Wind, they will replace their front gate and remove flammable vegetation at the entrance of the community in December. The proactive committee is a great model for other communities at-risk of wildfires — even with the numerous challenges they face, they have persisted to take small, but important, steps to reduce wildfire hazards to protect their beloved home.

Kahikinui Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 11/6/16
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Kailapa Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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Kailapa is a Hawaiian homestead in Kawaihae on over 10,000 acres from the shoreline to the base of Kohala Mountain. Homes there, first built in the late 1980s, are surrounded by very flammable grasslands that have experienced numerous fires over the years. Winds are a major factor in the extreme wildfire behavior that can occur in the area. The most recent threat occurred starting on August 8, 2015. The most recent threat occurred starting on August 8, 2015. A 4,5000-acre wildfire burned across Kawaihae, directly impacting local communities, businesses, and cultural sites in the area. Roads were closed and evacuations were ordered by Civil Defense for Kawaihae. Nearly 90% of the native plants at Puu Kohola were destroyed and large piles of timber from a eucalyptus harvest project in Hamakua were ablaze. The fire burned towards Kailapa, but firefighters were able to stop it a few gulches away. A week later, a large rainfall event washed unprecedented amounts of sediment and debris down the watersheds and out into the ocean, smothering neighboring coral reefs. Local residents recount that the floods were the worst in recent memory. HWMO produced a video documenting the events.

Assessment team looks out at the neighboring wildland areas that have burned numerous times.

The wildfire concerns in Kailapa have spurred the community to action. Since the beginning of 2016, a group of Kailapa residents have been working with HWMO to protect their community from wildfire by becoming a nationally-recognized Firewise Community. As one of the requirements, HWMO and Hawaii Fire Department conducted a community wildfire hazard assessment with Kailapa residents on November 3. Together, the assessment team caravanned throughout the community to note and photograph common wildfire hazards, as well as good Firewise practices already being implemented. The greatest concerns were the lack of water resources, ingress/egress, and fuels management between homes and in the surrounding wildland areas.

Living fuelbreak that was created in the spring of 2016 using U.S. Forest Service WUI grant funding through HWMO.

In the spring of 2016, Kailapa, with the facilitation of U.S. Forest Service WUI funds from HWMO, created a living fuelbreak on a slope on Kona side of the subdivision. The community would like to continue and expand project such as these throughout the subdivision to better protect homes from the dangers of wildfire in Kawaihae.

Kailapa is on pace to become the first Hawaiian homestead on Hawaii Island to be a certified Firewise Community. Great work Kailapa!

Kailapa Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 11/3/16
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Waiohuli Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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HWMO assisted Waiohuli Hikina with a $5,000 grant from U.S. Forest Service WUI funds to create a fuelbreak between homes and the black wattle forest that is a potential wildfire threat.

Although Upcountry Maui may not typically be known as being at risk of wildfire, more and more wildfires have threatened communities even in areas that might be considered “wet.” The El Niño-caused drought conditions early in 2016 contributed to wildfires across that state that occurred in wetter areas including in Kula. In February, a wildfire burned within the Waiohuli homestead (Kula Hawaiian Homes), prompting residents to take action. In the spring of 2016, HWMO assisted the community with a $5,000 grant from U.S. Forest Service WUI funds. With the project money, the community hired a contractor to create a wide fuelbreak behind nearly a dozen homes along the edge of a wildland area. As a next step, the community is on board for becoming a Firewise Community, joining Launiupoko and Kahikinui on Maui to become the first Maui Firewise Communities.

When dry, invasive ivy and other shrubs in Waiohuli can become a wildfire hazard, threatening homes along the gulch, as seen above.

As one of the first steps towards certification, HWMO’s Pablo Beimler met with Lance De Silva of DOFAW to conduct a wildfire hazard assessment for the community. Even though the area looked “green” as they drove around the neighborhood, fire was still on the mind, especially considering how fast the plants there dried out during the El Niño drought. Once HWMO puts a report together of the assessment, the Waiohuli Firewise Committee members will develop an action plan and hold a Ready, Set, Go! Workshop led by HWMO. The workshop would count as their first Firewise Event, putting them in great position to become a Firewise Community as of 2016!

Waiohuli Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 9/15/16
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Waikoloa Village Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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The crew visited a few homes to conduct "home ignition zone assessments" as part of the Firewise Community assessment report. 

Waikoloa Village’s new Fire Management Action Committee formed recently and is already in full swing, a big step for Waikoloa’s wildfire protection. The team, led by Chair Mark Gordon, is working with HWMO to become a nationally-recognized Firewise Community as of 2016. The certification would make the community the largest Firewise Community in the State, a challenge that the team and HWMO is willing to take on. 

 

A Waikoloa Village interior lot that the WVA recently created a fuelbreak for to protect neighboring homes.

On September13th, HWMO’s Pablo Beimler (Outreach Coordinator) and Mike Tomich (Board of Director) met with the WVA’s Roger Wehrsig, DOFAW’s Jay Hatayama, HFD’s West Hawthorne and Ed Kawasaki, WDFI’s Jen Lawson, and the Action Committee’s Mr. Gordon and Wayne Awai for a wildfire hazard assessment - a requirement for Firewise Community certification. The group drove to various sites around the village to examine wildfire hazards. Sites included the community fuelbreak (HWMO’s first grant-funded project that Waikoloa Village now maintains), fuels behind the schools, a vacant lot that was grazed by a goat-dozer for fuels reduction purposes (a pilot project facilitated by HWMO and WVA), and a larger grazed area on the critical northern/mauka boundary of the community. They also visited three homes to conduct brief home ignition zone assessments to fulfill one of the requirements of the Firewise hazard assessment. 

Illegal green waste dumping is a major hazard in Waikoloa and is very counterproductive to the wildfire mitigation efforts being made in the village.

After the assessment, HWMO will be compiling a report with recommendations for the Fire Management Action Committee to review. The Committee will discuss the recommendations and develop an action plan. Once completed, Waikoloa Village will be well on their way to Firewise certification as of 2016. Mahalo to our partners who joined the assessment and provided great input!

Waikoloa Village Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 9/13/16
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Waialea Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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Over a decade ago, the residents of Waialea and HWMO began discussing the establishment of a living (or shaded) fuelbreak along the mauka edge of the community to increase fire protection for the homes in the subdivision. Since then, HWMO has worked on a number of projects with Waialea to ensure wildfires, which are common in the area, keep clear of their homes. In the past, wildfires have even burned down homes and structures in Waialea, something we hope will never happen again if the right measures are taken.

HWMO VP Sam Patten points out charred fire post from a previous wildfire that burned right up to homes in Waialea.

Waialea residents and homeowners walk along a fire access road that splits the living fuelbreak.

To keep Waialea residents safe, HWMO is working with Waialea to help them become one of the next Firewise communities, a recognition that Kanehoa subdivision recently received. As a major step towards Firewise certification, HWMO’s Pablo Beimler and Sam Patten joined a group of residents (and a contractor who will be tasked with thinning the living fuelbreak with HWMO’s funding) to walk around the neighborhood and assess the community’s wildfire risk. 

The group began the tour by taking a look at the current state of the living fuelbreak. Within the break, there are a number of native and drought-tolerant plants that were established years ago but the area is currently in need of some thinning. HWMO will be providing a $5000 grant to Waialea to remove the flammable vegetation within the break and thin the trees to reduce ladder fuels. 

Keeping tree branches away from the home along the fire-free zone can make a significant difference protecting it from wildfire.

We also visited a couple of homes to get a better sense for what the average home looks like in relation to the landscape. Owners of the homes took a number of precautions to make sure there was enough defensible space, including creating a fire-free zone 5 feet around the home, and that structures were fire-proofed, including using non-combustible roofing and enclosing eaves.

HWMO will be working on completing the assessment over the next few weeks, which will become a useful tool for Waialea to help them determine the next steps for becoming wildfire ready.

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Launiupoko Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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Launiupoko on the west side of Maui has suffered through a number of close calls with wildfires over the past few years. Even this year alone, there have been a handful of fires that have started near or within the community. 

Chris Brosius (second from left) from West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership explains the importance of defensible space to the Launiupoko Firewise Committee.

Chris Brosius (right) examines native landscaping around home.

As part of our current goal of creating at least ten nine Firewise Communities (Kanehoa was our first official one!) within the next year, HWMO's Pablo Beimler and West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership's Chris Brosius met with Launiupoko residents on February 17th to conduct a Firewise Hazard Assessment. 

Launiupoko 

The site of the most recent wildfire prior to the assessment that burned within the community.

The team of new Firewise Committee members from Launiupoko gave background on the fire issues they had witnessed over the years. Much of the discussions revolved around the vegetative make-up of the area and water issues. Mr. Brosius helped connect the importance of creating a dynamic landscape that served the purpose of mitigating wildfire hazards while also restoring the watershed - these goals must work hand-in-hand to create a resilient landscape and community. 

We were able to tour some of the committee members' properties to assess wildfire hazards and mitigation successes at the home level. We also toured areas of wildland in and around the community to get a sense for the larger landscape and its relationship with the community. 

As a next step, HWMO will complete an official write-up of the assessment and deliver it to the committee members who will then devise an action plan. 

Mahalo to Launiupoko Firewise Committee members who were excellent hosts and are the spark plugs for larger community efforts to come!

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Waialea Fuelbreak Tours and Firewise Community Hazard Assessment (Part 1)

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HWMO's Mike Tomich removes aloe stalk in living fuelbreak as example of fuels reduction measures that can be taken.

Around 2005, the residents of Waialea and HWMO began discussing the establishment of a living (or shaded) fuelbreak along the mauka edge of the community to increase fire protection for homes in the subdivision. 

HWMO had a few goals for the project:

1) Fuels conversion and reduction of grass maintenance within the fuelbreak.
2) Utilizing lessons learned in establishing the fuelbreak to aid similar efforts.
3) Assist the Waialea community in additional, adjacent fuels reduction along the fuelbreak and the extended community wildland interface.

Over the years, HWMO has been able to check off each of its goals, helping protect Waialea from the ever-looming threat of wildfires in the highly-trafficked area.

HWMO's VP Sam Patten is giddy to find a community fire hose.

To help move Waialea enter the next phase of wildfire protection, HWMO will be assisting the community through the Firewise Communities process. On January 12th, a group of community members met with HWMO's Community Outreach Coordinator Pablo Beimler, President Mike Tomich, and Vice President Sam Patten. The crew toured the living fuelbreak and adjacent State Parks lands to conduct the first part of a Firewise Community Hazard Assessment and to discuss proposals of project ideas they would introduce to the State Parks Superintendent, Dean Takabayashi, who they would meet that Friday. 

On January 15th, more than a dozen community members joined HWMO and State Parks reps to tour the northern end of the community. The discussions ranged from the health of the reef to the fuel buildup in the gulches to the incredible fuels reduction work already being done by the State at the Beach 69 facilities. 

Group of community members, HWMO reps, and State Parks officials tour the area to examine potential project opportunities.

HWMO was pleased to see the great collaborative energy amongst community members and agency officials - this will open up the pathway to work on fuels reduction projects conjunctively on State Park lands that abut the community.  

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Kanehoa Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

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Kanehoa is nestled amongst a sea of flammable grasses, but has one of the most incredible views of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Kohala Mountain.

Kanehoa subdivision in Waimea (Kamuela) is off and running towards the Firewise Community Certification, which at this rate would make them the 2nd Firewise Community in the State of Hawaii (after Kohala-By-the-Sea). Becoming a Firewise Community is a multi-step process and relies on the grassroots efforts of the local community members. We're assisting Kanehoa, along with 9 other communities across the State, to help them achieve Firewise Certification (including $5,000 in match to kick-off a Fuels Reduction Day for each community). 

Although difficult to see in this photo, smoke from a live wildfire near West Hawaii Concrete was hovering below Mauna Kea during the assessment, a clear reminder of the importance of getting prepared sooner rather than later.

On July 18th, HWMO's Pablo Beimler and Troy Scott and HFD Fire Inspector Palani Kurashige joined a couple Kanehoa Firewise Committee members to conduct a community-wide wildfire hazard assessment to update a 10-year-old assessment with new information about the community's wildfire situation. The team drove around the neighborhood stopping at various houses to meet with homeowners about their wildfire concerns and to get a general sense for the wildfire risk around their homes and the neighborhood.

Kanehoa has had its fair share of close-calls with wildfires that have ignited along Kawaihae Rd. (a large number of ignitions in the past decade have occurred along that highway). One such fire in November of 2010 burned with swirling winds and came close to destroying a number of homes and burned down a tractor shed. The wildfire even skipped over the stream on the South side of the village, which was running more like a river that day!

HFD Fire Inspector Palani Kurashige joined us and noted the hazardous scrapwood below a home.

Native plants like this ʻilima are trying to make a resurgence in the neighborhood but are having trouble competing with all of the invasive fountain grasses. A successful community work day will change that!

After the assessment update is completed by HWMO, we will present the findings to the Kanehoa Firewise Committee. The Committee will then develop an action plan based on the assessment and decide on a Fuels Reduction Day event. After holding the event, the Firewise Community will be eligible to submit an application to the DOFAW and national Firewise offices for approval. By then, we'll have the next Firewise Community in the State!


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