Kaua‘i County, in partnership with Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization, continues to advance a Wildfire Home Assessment Program to help residents reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience.
The program is scheduled to launch Aug. 1.
“Wildfire preparedness is a shared responsibility, and it starts at home,” said Kaua‘i Fire Department Chief Michael Gibson in a county release. “This program reflects a countywide commitment to providing our community with the knowledge and tools needed to better protect lives, homes and neighborhoods.”
Risk of wildfire continues to grow throughout Hawai‘i.
The county is taking a proactive and coordinated approach to preparedness, and earlier this year, Kaua‘i Fire Department hosted the specialized National Fire Protection Association’s Assessing Structure Ignition Potential from Wildfire training course.
About 40 participants from multiple county departments, including fire, mayor’s office, planning, elderly affairs, economic development and real property, as well as community partners came together for this intensive training that enhanced the county’s understanding of wildland-urban interface fire risk and provided practical tools to assess vulnerabilities at individual homes in grassland, forested and developed areas.
It also equipped personnel with strategies to help residents, property managers and homeowner associations take meaningful steps to reduce wildfire risk.
The upcoming Wildfire Home Assessment Program will offer voluntary, on-site evaluations focused on defensible space and vegetation management, home hardening strategies to reduce ember intrusion, property access and evacuation considerations along with identification of site-specific wildfire risks.
The effort builds upon recent milestones, including Kaua‘i County’s adoption of a wildland-urban interface code and ongoing collaboration with regional and community partners.
“Prepared homes and informed communities are key to reducing wildfire impacts,” said Elizabeth Pickett with Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization in the county release. “Kaua‘i’s approach demonstrates strong leadership in bringing agencies together to address this growing risk.”
Additional program details, such as information about how residents can request assessments, will be announced once the program is finalized.
