Wildfire Prep Workshop with Rotary Clubs of Waimea and Kona

In an effort to continue ramping up its wildfire awareness and preparedness programs, HWMO spent two lunches in a row communicating the Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Preparedness program to the Rotary Club. On September 17th, Elizabeth Pickett and Pablo Beimler joined 15 Rotary Club members for a presentation at Anna's Ranch in Waimea (Kamuela). The following day, they traveled down to the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua-Kona to meet with a group of 26 Rotary members. In all, the talks were well-received and were a special opportunity for HWMO to share its knowledge with an enthusiastic part of the Hawaii community. At the Kona meeting, Elizabeth Pickett was given the honor of signing a book that would be gifted at a future Rotary event. Rotary members were also thoughtful and generous enough to give a special aerial photo of native forests and crystal-clear blue shorelines to spice up the HWMO office.

HWMO looks forward to upcoming opportunities to work in collaboration with the Rotary Clubs of Waimea and Kona and to upcoming presentations with Rotary Clubs from other parts of the island.

Banner photo: Elizabeth Pickett is offered an aerial photo of native forests and crystal-clear blue shorelines as a gift of appreciation from the Rotary Club.

Wildfire Prep Workshop with Kau Coffee Growers Cooperative

HWMO's Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Preparedness Workshop Tour was just the beginning of a larger outreach effort to get the message out about wildfire preparedness in Hawaii. Pablo Beimler gave the workshop at the Ka'u Coffee Growers Cooperative monthly meeting at the Pahala Community Center and addressed wildfire-related concerns from local coffee growers. Mr. Beimler emphasized the importance as a large landowner of creating access for firefighters, should a wildfire become a threat to a property. The twenty growers in attendance went home with a Ready, Set, Go! Wildland Fire Action Guide to review with their family and colleagues.

Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Preparedness Workshop - Big Island-Wide Tour

HWMO got a taste of what it's like to be in a band after a 3-week Big Island-wide workshop tour (July 21 - August 4) promoting wildfire preparedness. The Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Preparedness Workshops were led by HWMO Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett and Education and Outreach Coordinator Pablo Beimler in an effort to rally community members to take action in and around the home far in advance of wildfire season. Those who attended the workshops learned about Hawaii's wildfire issues and how they could mitigate those issues through proper home landscaping techniques and home structure modifications. They also learned about how to develop a clear and achievable family emergency plan, what actions to take during a wildfire, and proper evacuation procedures. Each attendee walked home with a free copy of the new Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Wildland Fire Action Guide that could be used as a step-by-step tool for carrying out the recommended actions. Contact us if you'd like to receive a guide or better yet, stop by our office to pick one up and meet the HWMO team!

People from a variety of different backgrounds, interests, and ages came out to the workshops which were held in Ocean View, Waikoloa, Volcano, Pahala, Waimea, Kona, and Kealakekua. These workshops, made possible by The Cooperative Fire Program of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Pacific Southwest Region, were a primer for future workshops and projects to come. HWMO connected with community members who were interested in starting community fuels reduction days that we could provide funding and resources for, helping forward our goal to reduce fire risk in fire-prone areas of Hawaii through a collaborative community effort. We'll keep you posted about these upcoming community events and please notify us if you are interested in starting one - we can help you make it happen!

As we said, this is only the beginning of our outreach ramp-up. We plan to continue putting on these workshops throughout Hawaii Island (Puna and North Kohala, you're next!), West Maui, and Oahu. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements. 

Special thanks to Chief Darryl Oliveira, Chief Eric Moller, Chief Darren Rosario, and all of the HFD firefighters, CERT members, HWMO Board Members, and community members who came out to the workshops. Additional thanks to our media support: Carolyn Lucas-Zenk (West Hawaii Today), Lisa Dahm (North Hawaii News) and Sherry Bracken (LAVA105.3, KKOA107.7, HPR). Mahalo to all of our venue hosts from Ocean View Community Center, Waikoloa Community Association, Volcano Cooper Center, Pahala Elementary School, Thelma Parker Memorial Library, Kona Mayor's Office, and Konawaena Elementary School.

Banner photo: Good turnout from community members and firefighters at Waikoloa Community Room on July 23, 2014. 

Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park New Teacher Orientation

HWMO’s Project Assistant, Andrew Tarnas, and Board of Directors member, Dave Faucette, hosted a group of new Waikoloa School teachers at our Dryland Safety Park. Teachers learned about Hawaii’s unique fire cycle and its relation to the loss of our native plants habitat. Teachers also got to help add to the garden by planting new Pohinahina and Ilima.

Banner photo: Two teachers plant native dryland plant as part of Safety Park training.

After Dark in the Park

HWMO traveled down to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to give a talk at the Visitor’s Center on fire mitigation around the home. The talk focused on “Ready, Set, Go!” and “Firewise” initiatives, specifically on how to protect your home, family, and community from wildfire.