HWMO led a multi-year, multi-partner effort with fire response agencies and resource managers (see below) to create compatible reporting among agencies, and to compile the first ever statewide wildfire history dataset. In Hawai'i, fire suppression agencies record and report fire events with differing types of information and level of detail. These differences have prevented mapping and identifying fire trends and emerging problems at community, county, and state levels. By solving the coordination problem, the HWMO Hawai'i State Wildfire History dataset helps:

1. Aid communities in developing federally compliant Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP)
2. Support research on the ecological and social drivers of wildfire
3. Communicate the extent of fire occurrence and threat in Hawai'i with national and local funding agencies/grantors
4. Secure external resources to address fire issues
5. Engage communities in wildfire preparedness activities.

It is essential to understand that this data comes with limitations and caveats.

Collection, compilation, and quality control of the data was carried out by HWMO. The project was funded by grants from the USDA Forest Service and Hawai'i State Fire Assistance Wildland/Urban Interface Grant Program (2009-2011; 2011-2013). HWMO is an equal opportunity employer. HWMO and the Pacific Fire Exchange (PFX) performed quality control on some of the data. The Pacific Fire Exchange (PFX) also facilitated additional logistical support from US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Institute for Pacific Islands Forestry.

Fire record data came from all four county fire departments (Hawai'i County, Maui County, Kauai County, and Honolulu City and County [Oahu Island]), the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) within the Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP). This includes all fire response agencies except for Department of Defense, whose records are classified.

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Communities in Hawai'i were assessed for 36 wildfire-related hazard components and rated by personnel from County Fire Departments (Hawai'i Fire Department, Maui Fire Department, Kauai Fire Department, Honolulu Fire Department), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Fire, and Hawai'i Wildfire Management Organization. The Subdivision, Vegetation, and Building hazard categories were rated by site inspections in each community. The Fire Environment and Protection categories were rated by fire responders with expert understanding of their agencies and local environments.

An important note to remember when viewing the maps is that only developed community, residential, and commercial areas were assessed for wildfire hazards. Uninhabited wildland or protected areas were not assessed for hazard using this format.

Collection, compilation, and quality control of the data was carried out by the HWMO. This work could not have been completed without the assistance of the County Fire Departments (Hawai'i Fire Department, Maui Fire Department, Kauai Fire Department, Honolulu Fire Department) and DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Fire.

This project was funded in full or in part by the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, under the terms of Grant No. 11-DG-1105-2012-040 and Grant No. 13-DG-11052012-112. The opinions expressed in this publication, video, or other information/media product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Forest Service. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

HWMO will not bear any responsibility for the consequences of using this data set, which are entirely the responsibility of the user.

The HWMO Hawai'i Wildfire Hazard Assessment has been prepared to increase awareness on potential wildfire threats to communities across the Hawai'ian islands. However, HWMO does not guarantee a house will survive a wildfire event and having a low hazard rating does not “fire proof” an individual house or a given area or subdivision; instead, reducing the hazard rating lowers wildfire threats and improves the potential for wildfire suppression to be successful.

It is important to recognize that the HWMO hazard assessment process is a qualitative ranking system that ranks different factors perceived to contribute to the threat of wildfires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The assessment does not include the full range of realistic fire and ember exposures at the WUI and offers no actual quantification of the potential exposure of homes to the ignition, spread, and intensity of wildfires or embers produced by wildfires. Furthermore, the HWMO Wildfire Hazard Assessment is a community-level assessment that produces a rating based on a select number of houses in a given area or subdivision. While such an approach gives an indication of the general wildfire risk for a given area, the actual risk of individual homes can deviate from this assessment based on the characteristics of the site around an individual home.

HWMO data products

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a plan developed by local communities, resource managers, large landowners, city planners, County/State/Federal agencies including emergency responders, state foresters, and other interested parties to clarify and refine priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in wildland-urban interface areas. It is intended to create a foundation of collaboration and communication among diverse parties toward achieving wildfire risk reduction goals. Through the CWPP process, communities have a tremendous opportunity to learn more about wildfire issues and impacts, influence where and how vegetation reduction projects and federal hazard reduction funds are applied and to initiate or get involved at the local level.

HWMO has completed CWPPs for the following areas (refer to the map for details):

• Kauai County: Kauai (entire island)
• Honolulu County: Western Oahu
• Maui County: Western Maui, South Maui, Upcountry Maui, Molokai
• Hawai'i County: Northwest Hawai'i Island, North Kona, South Kona, Ocean View, Kau, Volcano

There is one CWPP that was not completed by HWMO and is outdated: Kahikinui (Maui). HWMO is planning to work with the stakeholders in Kahikinui to update the plan for 2017-18. To collect input for the Western Oʻahu CWPP, a foundational component of the CWPP process, HWMO supported and facilitated individual meetings with decision makers and private landowners and group meetings with agency representatives, organizations, and community members. Participants identified and ranked wildfire concerns and recommended actions, and pinpointed high value resources at risk on a map of the planning area. The community input available in this app are from 2016 CWPPs: Kauai Update, Molokai, South Maui, Upcountry Maui, and Western Oahu.

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The HWMO data tool also includes 5-year estimates from the 2016 US Census American Communities Survey. These data include:

• Median household income (in 2016 dollars)
• People of Native Hawai'ian or other Pacific Islander descent
• Homeowners (percentage of owner-occupied housing units)
• Percentage of vacant housing units
• Population density (in people per square mile)