Statewide Firewise support and community mitigation cost-share program

Statewide Firewise Programming & Community Mitigation Cost-Share Program

Provide statewide support for communities participating in Firewise USA and other organized, community-driven wildfire resilience efforts across Hawaiʻi. Funding would support community outreach; preparedness and mitigation education and training; social and technical assistance based on community wildfire mitigation best practices; coordination of a statewide network of community leaders to share best practices, lessons learned, resources, and peer support; and a recurring community mitigation cost-share program that helps communities implement priority wildfire risk-reduction projects, such as green waste dumpster and chipping events and fuels management in common spaces.

Coordinated support for community-based wildfire resilience efforts statewide is an ongoing need, not a one-time project. Communities not yet engaged in wildfire preparedness need to be reached; new housing developments are established and new homes are built; new community leaders emerge who need onboarding, training, and support; hazardous vegetative fuels regrow; local conditions change; and communities must continually organize, maintain mitigation work, and engage new residents. Sustained support is needed to help communities build and maintain the local capacity necessary to reduce wildfire risk over time.