A plan that aims to overhaul how state agencies prepare for wildfires is expected to be completed in early 2027, according to the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization.
The Hawai‘i Island-based nonprofit is working with each state department to redefine its approach in hopes of preventing another tragedy like the August 2023 wildfire that killed at least 102 people in Lahaina.
“Our fire risk has increased and outpaced our policies, our actions, our protocols, etc.,” said Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the organization. “So the idea is to catch everybody, every department up to the role … it should be playing.”
From the hundreds of recommendations that came out of the investigations into the 2023 wildfires, the state selected 10 priorities and hiring the organization to coordinate Hawai‘i’s improved approach to wildfire prevention was at the top of the list. The third and final report on the fires was released in January 2025.
The second key move was hiring Dori Booth over the summer to serve as the first state fire marshal in nearly 50 years.
