An investigation into the catastrophic Maui wildfires that killed 101 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and left $6 billion in damage reveals a host of problems with emergency preparedness and coordination before and during the disaster.
Among them: Chiefs and some staff at the Maui Fire Department used “WhatsApp” to receive updates on situational awareness, but not everyone in the department used the app. And there was “minimal” prepositioning of personnel and equipment after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning before the four major wildfires broke out on Aug. 8, 2023.
But the new 84-page report by the Western Fire Chiefs Association also recognizes “the limited resources islandwide, which were extremely challenged by the scope and scale of the collective incidents.”
“After conducting more than 200 interviews and reviewing numerous data sets, it is clear that the four major wildfires placed the (Maui Fire Department) under an unprecedented level of stress. Despite this, the collective actions of the MFD and law enforcement saved many lives and property across the island,” the report said.
“Nearly all MFD personnel and vehicles on Maui were deployed. The emergency response system did not fail, but was overwhelmed by the extreme weather conditions and the fire. “Staff members endured shifts of 36 hours or more and risked their lives in a valiant effort to stop the spread of the fires and save lives.”
The report was released a day before Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez is expected to announce Wednesday the first wave of findings from an investigation by her office and the Fire Safety Research Institute.
But the fire chiefs association’s report has already revealed a number of challenges, as well as 111 recommendations on how to help prevent or mitigate such disasters in the future.
What the 84-page report found
– “Calls and text messages serve as the primary communication methods for staffing vehicles,” the report says. “Some staff were not contacted and were not aware of the ongoing incident activities. “The ‘WhatsApp’ application is used by CEOs and certain MFD staff for situational awareness updates, but its use is not universal across the department.”
The report suggested creating an automated system to notify all personnel of a major deployment and allowing battalion chiefs to take command vehicles home “so that off-duty BCs can easily respond from their residence” during urgent events.
– “There are no formal mutual aid agreements between county or inter-island fire departments, resulting in a slow and cumbersome process to relocate equipment,” the report says. “However, having additional staff during adverse times can really make a difference, especially to support firefighting operations.”
The report recommends creating a mutual aid agreement at the state level, as well as an “inter-island engine fleet program, where the State acquires and maintains a specific number of Type 3, Type 4-6 engines for shared use on each island. Standardization of model/type ensures consistency in training and operations across islands.”
– After the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning on Aug. 5 for Aug. 7-9, “there was minimal staffing increase and resource prepositioning,” the report says.
“Battalion chiefs began expanding personnel for some resources on the morning of August 8,” the day the four main forest fires started.
The report recommends creating an intelligence center “to continually monitor current and anticipated emergency events and facilitate the sharing of relevant data” and “increase staffing and predispose appropriate resources based on intelligence reports.”
– Public awareness and understanding of wildfire risks are also paramount. “As on the continent, staff, policymakers and the public may not become aware of escalating bushfire problems until an emergency incident occurs, as was seen in August,” it says The report.
“Since 2010, a large number of studies have delved into topics such as climate change, fuel conditions and increasing workload demands for firefighters. “Policymakers face the challenge of deciding whether public education alone will be enough or whether changes in policy and law enforcement are necessary to better address the problem of wildfires.”
– The report noted multiple challenges around evacuations, including communication issues and obstacles that hindered or blocked evacuations.
“On August 8, evacuation routes across the island were obstructed by downed power poles, trees and wires, exacerbating pre-existing challenges in accessing and exiting the areas,” the report says.
“The MFD requested authorities to facilitate evacuations by radio. Although law enforcement was part of the ICS structure, the lack of co-location at Incident Command Posts (ICPs) was attributed in part to the dynamic nature of incidents and available personnel.”
The report suggests working with law enforcement and state emergency management officials “to identify key access routes and develop contingency plans.”
“When identifying key access routes, collaborate with Hawaiian Electric Company to relocate adjacent, potentially underground, infrastructure to improve the safety of evacuation routes,” the report says.
Additionally, the report says that trying to communicate evacuations “to a transient tourist population that speaks multiple languages poses a significant challenge.”
Recommends collaborating with state emergency management officials on evacuation notifications in multiple languages.
While doubts remain, changes are already occurring.
Seven months after the calamitous wildfires, it is still unclear what caused the most devastating inferno — the Lahaina Fire — that killed 101 people and burned thousands of acres.
“That’s still under investigation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” Maui Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura said Tuesday.
The fire chief praised his firefighters for saving many lives despite personal tragedy.
“There were firefighters fighting the fires in Lahaina because they knew very well that their houses were burning at that very moment,” Ventura said.
Ventura was the fire official who commissioned the 84-page independent report focused on his department’s challenges and suggestions for improvement.
The subsequent report praised the Maui Fire Department’s initiative to try to improve.
“We commend the MFD for its swift actions to address the issues identified in this AAR, rather than waiting for the AAR’s recommendations,” the report says.
For example, the Maui Fire Department has already worked with authorities to review new evacuation software, made plans to increase staffing during red flag warnings and committed to a fleet replacement program, according to the report.
“We are confident that this report will contribute to the recovery process, driving public actions and policies that improve preparedness for future major incidents.”
CNN’s Pete Burn contributed to this report.