HONOLULU– Hawaii lawmakers on Wednesday released money for more firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century struck Maui’s historic town of Lahaina, exposing shortcomings in the state’s preparedness for such flames.
The House and Senate passed the measures in their first legislative session since the Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people. They now go to Governor Josh Green for consideration.
Climate change has exacerbated drought conditions in Hawaii, desiccating the archipelago’s vegetation and increasing the risk of devastating fires. Wildfires were once rare in Hawaii, but their frequency has increased in recent years.
Last year, just months after the Maui fire, a wildfire burned much of the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Honolulu.
“I think the biggest game changer now is that Hawaii is seen as a state that is going nowhere,” Rep. Kyle Yamashita, the chairman of the House Finance Committee, told reporters after the bills passed. “So we have to change our policies and procedures. and what our departments need to do to reduce some of the fuel and things like that.”
New financing includes:
1. $10 million for equipment such as bulldozers, fire trucks and water tanks for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which cares for national forests.
2. $1.4 million for the department to hire 22 staff, including a forest ranger, mechanics and heavy equipment operators, to protect against fire.
3. $7.4 million for the department to manage invasive grasses and other vegetation that fuels fires, restore native plants to fire-burned areas and work with communities to prevent wildfires.
4. $172,000 for a state fire chief, an assistant and training. The new fire chief would assess and assess fire risk in the state and work with county agencies to enforce the state fire code. These duties have been performed by a board of fire chiefs from Hawaii’s four major counties and state fire agencies since 1979, when Hawaii abolished the state fire chief position. Currently, Hawaii is the only state without a state fire marshal.
5. $1 million for the University of Hawaii to develop a wildfire forecasting system using artificial intelligence.
Lawmakers also appropriated $1 billion to cover several costs resulting from the Lahaina disaster, including $500 million for emergency housing for displaced people and $124 million in rental assistance for those who do not qualify for Federal Emergency Management assistance Agency.
The budget includes $65 million for a victims’ emergency fund, established for those who have lost family members or suffered serious injuries. Hawaiian Electric Industries, landowner Kamehameha Schools and Maui County are also contributing to the fund.
House Speaker Scott Saiki, a Democrat, said his caucus focused on Maui’s immediate needs and then on the state’s broader needs to address climate change.
“You’ve seen the maps – the fire zones, the sea level rise, there’s always a risk of a hurricane,” Saiki told reporters. “We have to learn how to deal with this and prevent losses, limit losses and just be prepared for the future.”
The cause of the Lahaina wildfire remains under investigation. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected to issue a report on the cause before the one-year anniversary of the fire.
