Hawaiian Electric has partnered with Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), a nonprofit based on Hawaii Island overseeing 31 Firewise communities across three counties, to help fund the nonprofit’s Firewise coordinator positions helping stimulate communities to reduce wildfire risk across the state.
The first $50,000 of a $260,000 commitment was paid to HWMO. The nonprofit locally administers the Firewise USA program, which provides a framework to help communities organize and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and address wildfire risks.
“Our support of Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is a valuable investment in strengthening community resilience across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves,” said Kurt Tsue, Hawaiian Electric director of community affairs. “Getting behind HWMO’s community-driven wildfire mitigation efforts is critical as we work in parallel to upgrade our infrastructure to reduce the risk of ignition and protect our customers and communities.”
HWMO hosted the Hawaii Wildfire Summit in Kona, which was attended by more than 260 participants, who learned about wildfire prevention efforts, collaborated with experts and community leaders, and planned actionable projects to build community resilience. Hawaiian Electric was a sponsor of the event.
“Within 10 months of the Maui wildfires, we onboarded another 15 Firewise communities,” said Nani Barretto, HWMO co-executive director said. “As of last week, we have 31 nationally recognized sites across three counties and another 13 in the application process.”
The funding came when HWMO’s federal grants stopped and Hawaiian Electric as well as other local sources helped recover the gap. Barretto added that firewise program coordinators help communities think through what projects will reduce risk, provide technical assistance and bring communities together to share resources, among other responsibilities.
