Gov. Green proclaims Fire Prevention Week statewide

Gov. Josh Green has proclaimed the week of Oct. 6-12, 2024 as “Fire Prevention Week” in the state of Hawaiʻi. This year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make them work for you!”
 
Flanked by State Fire Council Chair Kazuo Todd, who also serves as Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief, as well as fire chiefs from the City and County of Honolulu, Maui County, Kauaʻi County and other stakeholders, Gov. Green signed a proclamation to heighten public awareness and promote proactive steps for preventing fires of all sorts, especially those in homes.
 
“Something everyone can do at home is check their smoke alarm batteries once a month,” Green said. “Once a year, get a new battery in there and make sure it works. Everyone can do that — and please help a neighbor who may be a kūpuna to make sure theirs are in working order.”
 
The National Fire Protection Association website offers information on installation and monthly testing of home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
 
“The State Fire Council appreciates the governor’s annual Fire Prevention Week Proclamation as it is a vital reminder to our residents and visitors to always stay fire safe,” Todd said. “We urge every Hawai‘i residence or building to ensure they have functioning smoke alarms, which can often alert occupants of a potential fire and allow them to safely escape from harm’s way.”
 
In the City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu Hale was illuminated in red from sundown on Sunday through sunrise on Monday to launch Fire Prevention Week.

Fire prevention awareness

Awareness is especially high on Maui following the deadly wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023.

“Working smoke alarms play a crucial role in alerting residents to a fire in their home, giving them time to escape,” said Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety Chief Brad Ventura. “The Maui Fire Department has partnered with the American Red Cross to install 235 smoke detectors in the homes of Maui’s kūpuna and lower-income residents so far in 2024.”
 
The Kauaʻi Fire Department, in partnership with the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center, marked the start of 2024 Fire Prevention Week with a community event Oct. 5 at the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center.
 
“Governor Green’s proclamation is an important reminder that fire prevention requires everyone’s effort, especially as the threat of wildfires continues to grow,” said Kauaʻi Fire Prevention Chief Michael Gibson. “Fire safety is about taking proactive steps to prevent fires before they start and not just responding to them when they occur. With the rise in wildfires across our island and state, it’s more important than ever for our community to be vigilant, ensure their homes are protected and stay informed.”
 
In addition to Hawaiʻi residents arming themselves with smoke detectors, Gov. Green acknowledged the work being done to heighten awareness of the crucial importance of fire prevention and mitigation.
 
“Our own state departments like (Department of Land and Natural Resources) are participating, running public service announcements, trying to make sure that people are aware of the many facets of this challenge,” he said. “Sometimes, it is firefighting. Sometimes it’s prevention. Sometimes it’s invasive species. It is all work toward making sure that we deal with those hazards. And as we have all seen, these are the real challenges that we face in the modern day. We’re even talking about climate, the concerns of storms, Red Flag Warnings and more. People are learning a great deal about these many threats and I’m glad to see that.”
 
Numerous federal, state, county and nonprofit organizations are devoted to fire prevention and threat mitigation. These are just a few that can be contacted for additional information:

• National Fire Prevention Association
• State Fire Council (multilingual options)
• Honolulu Fire Department, Fire and Life Safety
• Maui Fire and Public Safety Department, Fire Education
• Kaua‘i Fire Department, Prevention Bureau
• County of Hawai‘i Fire Department, Fire Prevention Branch
• DLNR-DOFAW Wildfire Management
• Nonprofit Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization