#brad ventura

Hawaiʻi Water Service has awarded nearly $29,500 to the County of Maui’s Department of Fire and Public Safety and $8,000 to the Kauaʻi Fire Department as part of the utility’s inaugural Firefighter Grant Program. These grants will help each county offset the cost of equipment that helps first responders save lives and property and support firefighter wellness.

A Maui County Council committee voted 6-2 Monday to advance three bills clearing the way for construction of a long-awaited fire station in Haʻikū, over the objections of two council members who argued the project sits on land wrongfully taken from Native Hawaiians.

After more than 17 years of planning, the proposed Haʻikū Fire Station has hit a legal stumbling block significant enough for council members to seek legal advice in a closed executive session and delay further consideration for two weeks.

The Olowalu Fire Station, a privately funded project on donated land, would cover a growing residential community where fire is a risk and serve as a critical emergency hub between West and Central Maui.

Maui County Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura called for a “disciplined” fiscal year 2027 budget Monday, citing the strain high gas and grocery prices have placed on local residents. Sugimura, who chairs the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said the move is necessary as inflation continues to squeeze household pocketbooks across the islands. “Our […]

“For years, the Olowalu area has faced a critical gap in emergency response coverage. When seconds matter most, distance can mean the difference between life and death. This new fire station will change that reality. Once completed, it will allow our firefighters to respond to emergencies in this region at least 15 minutes faster than from the nearest station in Lahaina. That is not just an improvement—that is lifesaving,” said Chief Bradford Ventura.

Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura announced a list of 25 personnel who were promoted recently, including 18 to the rank of Firefighter III and seven to the rank of Firefighter II. All promotions went into effect no later than Jan. 1, 2026.

These deployable assets strengthen emergency communications in some of the nation’s most hazard-prone and geographically complex environments. The equipment ensures that critical connectivity for Hawaiʻi first responders can quickly be restored independent of commercial infrastructure or power.

Scientists took another round of samples from local firefighters last month, and while early results show changes in their blood, only time and more data about their exposure that day will tell how it affects their health.

Maui County Council’s 5-4 vote to finalize amendments to the Honuaʻula master-planned community project has reignited a debate over the project’s long-term impacts on South Maui.

The 2023 Maui wildfires “still weigh heavily on everybody in the department, and it was something that a lot of our firefighters faced that day that they hope to never have to see again,” Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura said.

Kahikinui, along with Waiohuli and Launiupoko, were the first communities on Maui to earn Firewise USA recognition in 2016 — and now there are 34 with another 16 going through the process.

A notice to proceed with construction of the Haʻikū Fire Station is scheduled for April 2026, if all permits and entitlements are approved. Then, in July 2028, the fully outfitted station is expected to be ready to house firefighters, fire trucks and other equipment, Fire Chief Brad Ventura told Maui County Council members in an […]

Governor Josh Green, M.D., has proclaimed the week of Oct. 6-12, 2024 as “Fire Prevention Week” in the state of Hawai‘i. This year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make them work for you!”

Sparks from a broken overhead power line ignited unmaintained vegetation off of Lahainaluna Road on the morning of Aug. 8, 2023, and that led to a chain of events that leveled Lahaina town and killed at least 102 people, according to an official origin-and-cause report released Wednesday. The fire’s cause was officially determined to be “accidental.”

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen proclaimed Thursday as Maui Fire Department Centennial Day, recognizing the departmentʻs century of service responding to fires, floods and other emergencies.

The County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety received the Lahaina Fire Summary of Findings and Conclusions report from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura was briefed by ATF on the report today, Sept. 25, 2024. 

The County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety invites the community to celebrate its 100 years of fire service, with an event Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Maui, located at 100 Kanaloa Ave. in Kahului.

The Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced a $2.128 million grant to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation. The total award amount comprises $1 million from HCF’s Maui Strong Fund and $1.128 million donated by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The new trucks will have the ability to drive off-pavement, allowing crews to better reach wildfires early and prevent them from spreading.

Firefighters battling the Haleakalā Crater Road fire have been challenged by difficult terrain, lava fields on the mauka side of the fire, soft soil when cutting firebreaks, swirling winds and low humidity. Maui fire officials note that while each fire is different, they have identified new technologies and organization that have helped to keep agencies better connected.