Unified Efforts: Building Hawai‘i’s Wildfire Resilience Together
Approximately 0.5% of Hawai‘i’s land burns annually, a proportion on par with or surpassing every other state.
In 2024, wildfire safety in Hawaiʻi is at the forefront of our community’s minds. While human activity is responsible for 98% of these wildfires, the combination of unmanaged vegetation, residential areas not designed to prevent fire, and the challenges of global warming and drought further exacerbate the issue. As Hawai‘i residents, we are all responsible for maintaining our homes and places of business to ensure they are wildfire-safe.
We all have different parts to play in mitigating our wildfire risk. In the world of community development, planners and developers have a crucial role in ensuring the safety of new neighborhoods, making fire-safe planning and design decisions right from the beginning that set the foundation for safer communities. Land stewards similarly have a responsibility of managing our lands and reducing flammable vegetation, striking a balance between preserving nature and minimizing risks to our neighborhoods.
Elected officials are tasked with proposing legislation aimed at preventing and mitigating wildfires, garnering public and legislative backing for initiatives that promote resilient landscapes and fire-adapted communities, and ensuring that safe and effective firefighting measures are adequately funded and implemented. Finally, residents can take proactive steps ahead of time to protect their homes, yards, and neighborhoods from wildfire.
The Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) is the hub of wildfire prevention, mitigation, and planning activities in the Hawai‘i-Pacific region. HWMO focuses on proactive, collaborative, and forward-thinking projects that reduce wildfire risk. Dedicated to education, research, planning, mitigation, and more, the goals of HWMO are to 1) prevent wildfires, 2) reduce wildfire impacts, 3) aid post-fire recovery, and 4) provide a collaborative environment amongst all Hawai‘i residents, agencies, and stakeholders to address wildfire management goals.
Learn more about how you can contribute to making Hawai‘i wildfire-resilient by visiting HWMO’s website.
