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I.
State Fire Assistance Program
(SFA)
A. Goal. To
provide protection for forest, brush, natural areas, and
grassland to the extend needed to hold fire damage below the
level at which it would interfere with high-level, sustained
yield of products and services from these lands.
B.
Objectives. Provide fire
protection coverage on 3,360,000 acres throughout the
State.
1.
Prevention
Mission. To minimize
man-caused fires by improving DOFAW's prevention program via
training and adoption of contemporary techniques for public
education measures.
Goals
- Carry out the Cooperative Forest Fire Fire Prevention
Campaign, e.g. brochures, posters, signing, etc.
- Participate in fire prevention activities, e.g.
Smokey Bear appearances at various parades, schools, farm
fair venues, etc.
- Conduct a FireWise Communities workshop.
- Work with the various county fire departments on
statewide wildland urban interface issues.
Accomplishments:
- Smokey was involved with the Federal Fire Department
during Fire Prevention Week in October, visiting children
at various military installations on Oahu.
- Smokey made an appearance in Hilo during Fire
Prevention Week, working with other fire management
agencies on the island.
- Smokey made three appearances on Kauai reaching out
to 900 children.
- Participated in the County Fair Parade with the Maui
County Fire Department (MFD). Three of our engines along
with Smokey Bear, accompanied Sparky, and four County
Fire engines and rescue craft.
- Attended the Governor's proclamation signing event
declaring October 7-13, 2001 as Fire Prevention Week in
Hawaii.
- DOFAW, as part of the Big Island Wildfire
Coordinating Group (BIWCG), took part a display booth at
the Jaycees Fair in Hilo in Sept.
- Created a Homeowner's "Watchout" brochures.
- Participated in the Kaimuki Middle School Career Day
event on careers in the fire field.
- Participated in the National Firewise conference in
Hilo, HI in February 2002.
- Assisted the Newtown Estates community (Oahu) in May
2002 in the process of establishing themselves as a
firewise community.
- Participated with the Honolulu Fire Dept. and The
Nature Conservancy of HI in a display booth at the annual
Hawaii Home and Garden Show in June 2002.
- Assisted The Nature Conservancy of HI in preparing
fire prevention initiatives for their meeting with the
Palehua community, June 2002.
2.
Presuppression
Mission. To improve the
response and firefighting capability of the DOFAW
organization and to integrate fire management as an integral
part of natural resource management programs.
Goals.
- Continue to improve and maintain the Remote Automatic
Weather Stations on Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui, and
Hawai'i.
- Conduct basic firefighting and specialized training
statewide, based on Branch needs; collaborate with other
fire agencies in the development and use of joint
training opportunities.
- Incorporate the Geographical Information System
concept including the development and maintenance of fire
maps, fire weather data, and other fire-related
matters.
- Participate in the Council of Western State Fire
Managers, California-Nevada-Hawai'i Forest Fire Council,
and the Hawai'i Fire Chiefs Association meetings.
- Conduct in-house statewide fire management core group
meetings as needed to resolve protection issues,
consolidate training, etc.
- Continue to manage and use all Federal Excess
Personal Property (FEPP) equipment statewide in
accordance with program regulations; conduct onsite
review; complete an annual physical inventory of all
equipment.
- Continue to integrate fire protection with other
resource management programs, e.g. ecosystem management
concepts.
- Cooperate with the State Civil Defense, State Fire
Council, and USDA Forest Service to augment fire data
gathering and simulation, resource tracking and
assignments, supporting technologies, etc.
- Construct & maintain existing firebreak roads,
trails, etc.
Accomplishments:
- Maintained and updated the RAWS stations on Kauai and
Oahu. Four new stations were purchased. They should be
on-line by August 2002.
- A series of basic and specialized training was done
statewide over the course of the year. A report entitled,
"Fire Training 2001-2002" was submitted in June, 2002.
The annual critical fire training was also conducted for
all DOFAW personnel assigned to firefighting duties.
- FEPP equipment were inventoried and updated. This
included the acquisition, transfer and disposition of
equipment.
- Statewide fire caches were updated and
maintained.
- Maintained 27 miles of fire break roads in various
forest reserves, island of Oahu; 11.6 and 8 miles on
Mauna Kea, HI and Puu Waawaa, HI respectively, and 12
miles in the Puu Ka Pele Forest Reserve on Kauai.
- Performed fuel hazard reduction activities in and
around T&E plant enclosures on the island of
Hawaii.
- Fire training records were updated for all
employees.
- Conducted and attended meetings as part of the Maui
and Big Island Wildfire Coordinating Groups.
- Provided comments to the draft Ulupa'u Crater Fire
Management Plan written by the Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Kane'ohe Bay.
- The Hawaii Branch Protection Forester attended the
California/Nevada/Hawaii Forest Fire Council meeting in
Reno, NV. He represented DOFAW.
- Worked with R5 staff on the training schedule for
Spring 2002 for Hawaii.
- Attended the HI Fire Chiefs Association conference on
the Big Island in November. The State Protection Forester
made a presentation at this conference.
- The DOFAW Fire web site (www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/fmp)
was maintained and periodically updated during this
period.
- Overhauled and installed new engines in two federal
surplus Model 60 fire engines on Kauai. All fire vehicles
in the district fleet are now operational.
- Established safety zones in the Puu Ka Pele Forest
Reserve, Kauai.
- Preliminary work on the Waianae fuel break capital
improvement project has begun. The project is expected to
commence in July 2002.
- Provided technical assistance to the Riverside Fire
Lab for sampling of fuels in the Kuaokala Forest Reserve.
This is the first step in establishing a fire danger
rating system for Hawaii.
- Worked on a Joint Fire Science Project in Puu
Anahulu, HI.
- Fire maps were updated and digitized over the course
of the year.
- The Hawai'i Fire Chiefs' Association annual meeting
was held at the Hilton Waikoloa on Hawaii in November
2001. The State Protection Forester made a presentation
and updated the membership regardomg DOFAW's fire program
and what issues the agency faced over the last fiscal
year.
- The State Protection Forester attended the annual
Western State Fire Managers (WSFM) meeting in
Albuquerque, NM in April 2002. Issues that affect the 17
western states as well as the western Pacific territories
were addressed at this meeting. Issue papers were written
and presented to the Council of Western State Foresters
in late May 2002. The State Protection Forester serves as
the Chair of the WSFM.
- DOFAW staff reviewed over 80 environmental
assessments, EISs, conservation district use applications
and film permits. Comments and recommendations were made
to these reviews to ensure that fire issues were
identified and resolved before approval is given.
- DOFAW participated in the annual Makani Pahili
(Hurricane) exercise, which is conducted by the State
Civil Defense Agency. Various local, county, state, and
federal agencies were involved in this important
exercise. This exercise is a measuring stick on where the
state stands in disaster preparedness.
- Throughout the year, the Region 5 Fire & Aviation
Management office is kept abreast of the DOFAW fire
program through electronic mail, reports, and other means
of telecommunication. Fire data is gathered and sent to
the Region office for use in the national reporting
system.
- All four county fire departments were the recipients
of the Volunteer Fire Assistance grant this year. See
Section III - VFA.
3.
Suppression
Mission. To
suppress wildfires in a safe manner and at a minimum cost
consistent with land and resource management objectives and
fire management direction.
Goals:
- continue to gather statewide fire data and add to the
existing database for data analysis and reporting fire
history for each Branch.
- respond to each wildfire incident in a timely manner
with appropriate forces as mandated by the provisions of
the Land Fire Protection Law (Chapter 185, Hawai'i
Revised Statutes).
Accomplishments:
- During FY02, 109 fires were reported statewide
totaling 288 acres. Three fires were reported on Kaua'i,
(0.7 acs.), 12 on O'ahu (97 acs.), 53 on Maui (102.7
acs.), and 48 on Hawai'i (87.6 acs).
Other
accomplishments:
- In June 2002, Six DOFAW personnel participated in the
Hayman Fire incident in Colorado. They were part of the
California Interagency Incident Management Team No. 5,
led by Incident Commander Ron Raley.
II.
Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA)
A. Goal. To organize, train, and equip
the Kauai Fire Department firefighting force to efficiently
and effectively prevent, control, and suppress fires in
remote areas.
B. Activities.
- The Kauai Fire Department used the VFA grant to
acquire protective gear.
- The Honolulu Fire Dept. purchased laptop computers
and projectors to enhance their fire prevention education
program. They also purchased personal protective gear for
their firefighting force.
- The Maui Fire Dept. purchase various personal
protective gear including wildland fire shirts and
pants.
- The Hawaii County Fire Dept. also purchased various
personal protective gear.
Annual Report Page
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