Firewise community hazard assessment completed for Villages of Leialiʻi

In an effort to protect their community from the threat of wildfires, homesteaders with residential lots at the Villages of Leialiʻi in Lahaina have completed a community hazard assessment with the Hawaiʻ Wildlife Management Organization.

The assessment comes 14 months after Maui wildfires killed at least 102 and destroyed more than 2,000 structures, mostly homes in Lahaina. The Villages of Leialiʻi lost two of its 104 residential lots.

The organization helps communities by supporting the Firewise USA program. It works to enable communities to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent losses.

In Hawai’i, 24 communities have currently joined the nationwide network of more than 1,500 recognized Firewise USA® sites, taking action and ownership in preparing and protecting their homes against the threat of wildfire, according to the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization.

The organization also partners with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Participation in the program is spearheaded by driven and motivated community members to lead their communities to wildfire preparedness.

Villages of Leialiʻi homesteader Kai Pelayo, who was among the last residents to evacuate from fast-moving flames on Aug. 8, 2023, led a Firewise assessment group through the streets of his community to evaluate its wildfire risks with the vision of never again seeing an event so destructive.

“We’re coming together with Firewise because we realize that we need to have a hand in our own future,” Pelayo said. “Our participation in the assessment is our way of taking care of ourselves so we can be prepared to help others.”

For three hours, the group — Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization staff supported by the state Forestry and Wildlife officials, homestead leaders and volunteers — walked the neighborhood. They surveyed overgrown vegetation, noting surrounding buildings, logistical infrastructure and potential fire fuels that could impact a safe and effective fire response.

The assessment, conducted Oct. 11, marked the initial step to attaining national recognition as a Firewise community.

The Hawaiʻi wildfire organization will develop a report based on the community assessment. Then, the community will follow up with an action plan to increase its safety and community resiliency. Once these requirements are met, the report will be submitted and the application for national recognition by the National Fire Protection Association will be reviewed.

Earning national recognition can take a neighborhood anywhere between three to 12 months.

“Some say we’re lucky here in Leialiʻi because our homes are still standing,” said Archie Kalepa, Hawaiian Homes Maui commissioner and Leialiʻi lessee. “What they don’t see are the ghosts of uncertainty we live with, everything that’s yet to come, and because of this, we need to be a part of the solution in keeping our people and community safe.”

A ninth-generation West Maui resident, Kalepa has seen Maui’s changing climate from the land and sea.

“The subtle changes most people don’t recognize, the eroding Lahaina shoreline, the lack of rain,” he said. “Moving forward we need to actively engage our communities, work collaboratively with the department and find ways that ensure our homes are here for generations to come.”

The Hawaiʻi wildfire organization launched the Firewise program in 2015. Prior to the wildfires in 2023, 15 Firewise communities were established. Since then, a total of 25 Firewise communities have been recognized statewide with another 16 neighborhoods in the application process.

“We have neighborhoods that are more scared than ever and residents understand that firefighting is the last line of defense,” said Nani Barretto, Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization co-executive director.

Pelayo said the Maui wildfires left behind a painful lesson for everyone: be prepared for wildfires and become a Firewise community.

“Don’t wait for a fire, do something now,” he said.

Four of the more than 50 Department of Hawaiian Home Lands homesteads are Firewise certified, according to DHHL. The department aims to have every homestead recognized as Firewise community.