Volcano Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan - Community Meeting

Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization will hold community input meetings to update four Hawaii County Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) for Volcano, Ka‘ū, Ocean View, and South Kona communities.  Community input is critical to the CWPP process in determining priority wildfire concerns, needs, and action steps to better prepare and protect fire-prone areas from wildfires.  The CWPP update meetings will identify and prioritize projects to reduce the threat of wildfire to these communities. 

Community input is vital to the plan being well rounded and informed.  We hope you can join us for these meetings, we would be most grateful for your participation! 

Wildfires have great impacts on Hawaii County residents and natural resources, affecting:

• Daily life (road closures, traffic, evacuations, tax payer dollars)
• Human health and safety (dust, smoke, water quality, burned homes and structures, resident and firefighter safety)
• Ecosystem health and resilience (watersheds, forests, coral reefs, fisheries) 

CWPPs are a great planning tool for communities and have become a prerequisite in order to receive federal funding for wildfire protection projects. A CWPP assists a community in identifying and prioritizing areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments, and supports communities to take action.  The plan assesses values at risk such as safety, natural resource protection, recreation, scenic values, and economic issues.  CWPPs are a collaborative effort with input from community members, firefighting agencies, and related organizations.  These plans are becoming increasingly important in Hawaii. They bring wildfire hazard information and planning/action opportunities to all who are affected, making it possible to address wildfire more effectively.  As drought episodes increase and land uses continue to change, working at all levels to mitigate wildfire has become essential.

Hawaii County Fire Chief Darren Rosario explains, “The number one defense against the effects of a wildfire to your community is prevention.  The Hawaii Fire Department stands ready to respond to the needs of our community.  This includes responding through prevention and collaborative efforts to reduce the threat of wildfires to your community.  We are a proud team member with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, and your community, in providing you with information and assistance in the sustainability of your community through fire prevention efforts.”

“CWPPs are meant to tie into existing or planned projects,” says Elizabeth Pickett, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization Executive Director. “Many communities are developing disaster plans or long-range community plans, and the CWPP is meant to complement those plans. It will be a useful tool for community members to help make Volcano communities and natural areas fire-safe. Wildfires tie into many natural resource, municipal, and community issues, so this is an important opportunity for communities to learn, have their voices heard, and get involved.”