hawaii_wf_8.txt

Scene Response to Upcountry Maui District I
- Officers conducted evacuations upcountry as early as 1:55 a.m. on August 8, 2023.
- Roads were blocked by downed trees and debris – deemed unsafe for county public works, officers began
utilizing their personal equipment to assist in opening roads for fire and evacuees.
- Additional police resources were called in as emergency call backs to assist in road closures and evacuations.
Scene Response to Kihei District VI
- On the afternoon and into the evening of August 8, 2023, Kihei officers were on watch for fire approaching
Kihei neighborhoods.
- Called upon to close Honoapiilani Highway heading into Lahaina due to fire and traffic congestion.
- Evacuations of Kihei neighborhoods conducted as Kihei fire gets close to homes.
- Officers sent to Lahaina district to assist with traffic direction and evacuations.
View from Wailuku Heights of the Pulehu/Kihei fire the evening of August 8, 2023.

County of Maui Emergency Operations Center
With high winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south of Maui, the Maui Emergency Management Agency
(MEMA) was partially activated beginning on August 7, 2023. MEMA would be fully activated August 8, 2023 in
response to fires in Kula.
MEMA requested a liaison from MPD to respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on August 8; an
assignment that continued throughout the entire activation of the EOC.
The EOC is the centralized location where support for emergency response and recovery are conducted during times
of natural and man-made disasters. In the EOC, the Maui Police Department representative is present to serve as a
conduit for communication and provide knowledge of the agency and the agency’s capabilities, while contributing
to the greater discussion(s) within the EOC.
The Maui Police Department EOC liaison is also tasked with providing support to the on-scene Incident Commander’s
operations, by helping coordinate and fulfill any requests for assistance the EOC Incident Commander may have.
At approximately 6:35 a.m., multiple callers reported a fire starting across from Lahaina Intermediate School. Maui
Fire Department and Maui Police Department officers were assigned to respond. The fire was eventually declared
extinguished at 2:17 p.m., while the Kula and Olinda fires continued to rage.
The Maui Fire Department would fight the Kula and Olinda fires throughout the day, ordering evacuations of more
than 60 residences. Maui Police Department officers would assist in these evacuations, as well as man designated
traffic posts to facilitate the evacuation.
Central dispatch started to receive calls from Lahaina residents at approximately 2:55 p.m. on August 8, 2023,
reporting smoke and fire seen in the area of Kuialua Street and Lahainaluna Road. Maui Fire Department and Maui
Police Department officers would also be assigned to this location.
Maui Fire Department personnel began to fight the fire in Lahaina and in the process ordered the evacuation of the
surrounding areas. Maui Police Department officers who had responded to the scene, began evacuating those in
the immediate area, facilitated vehicular movement out of the affected areas, and began transporting residents they
had saved to the emergency shelter established at the Lahaina Civic Center.
At approximately 5:50 p.m. on August 8, 2023, MEMA fully activated the EOC. At 5:59 p.m. the Pulehu fire was
added to the EOC’s disaster list.
From the evening of August 8, 2023, through the morning of August 9, 2023, the various MPD personnel assigned to
the County EOC would eventually receive and fulfill multiple requests for assistance and information which included:
1. Facilitating the escort of emergency service personnel and support personnel into Lahaina;
2. Facilitating the transport of fire victims from the United States Coast Guard Station at Maalaea,
to Maui Memorial Medical Center;
3. Multiple attempts to confirm any deceased victims;
4. Assist in evacuation of the Lahaina Civic Center;
5. Establishment of an unscheduled emergency shelter at Maui Preparatory Academy;
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6. Escort of emergency supplies to Lahaina Civic Center, then later Kihei Community Center; and
7. Coordinating traffic flow between Kahakuloa Village and Camp Maluhia to allow American Medical
Response ambulances to pick up and transport fire victims.
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VII.Department Operations Center
Based on the totality of the fires of August 8, 2023 and an assessment of the needs of the Kula, Lahaina, and Kihei
Incident Commands were established. In addition to maintaining Maui Police Department’s presence in the County
of Maui Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Chief Pelletier implemented the MPD Department Operations Center
(DOC) at MPD’s headquarters.
The DOC was the operations and coordination center dedicated to overseeing and coordinating additional response
to the incident, focusing on internal agency incident management and response.
Realizing the scope of the fire and the unconfirmed, yet presumed fatalities associated with it; it was imperative that
MPD officers received immediate direction and leadership from the command staff at the DOC; as well as continue
to receive and share critical information with the MPD liaisons at the County EOC.
Starting on August 9, 2023, staffing at the DOC consisted of the chief of police and/or deputy chief of police, a captain,
sergeant, chief of staff, PIO, an intelligence officer, and support staff. Outside law enforcement agencies were also
invited to the DOC which became vital in communications between our agencies. FEMA and the DOJ were also
represented in the DOC. This ensured that each agency’s effort wasn’t duplicated, that we were accountable to each
other, and increased the timeliness of implementing resources.
The DOC coordinated purchasing of urgent supplies, equipment, and vehicles, liaised with all law enforcement
including outside agencies that onboarded to assist in operations and provided immediate critical leadership. The
DOC also focused on assisting the patrol Incident Commanders with maintaining staffing, while ensuring adequate
rest for all responding officers.
RECOMMENDATION 8 – All commanders, captains and above receive training
on activation of the DOC and a Department Operations Center quick
reference guide be developed for commanders to be utilized for any crisis.
RECOMMENDATION 10 – All commanders participate in live training
exercises in DOC activation.

Communications
A. Communications Section
On the morning of August 8, 2023, an increased amount of calls for service were received regarding downed power
lines, roofs being blown off, downed trees and general debris flying around Lahaina. As the day continued the calls
for service increased and ultimately the fire calls were coupled in. Communications personnel were challenged to
field three days’ worth of calls within a single day. Never in any current emergency services dispatcher’s career have
they experienced the volume of calls received on August 8, 2023.
The calls did not stop at the end of the day on August 8, 2023. The increased number of calls continued throughout
the early morning hours of August 9, 2023 and continued for weeks with regard to the Lahaina and Kula fires.
The Maui County emergency call service is managed by MPD’s communications center, which is equipped with thirty-
eight 9-1-1- phone trunks (lines) and six administrative telephone lines. When all trunks are utilized, the thirty-ninth
call will roll over to the Molokai Communications Center to assist. Staffing levels varied throughout the day (12:00
a.m.–11:59 p.m.), reaching a maximum of nine personnel. Molokai normally operates with one emergency services
dispatcher (ESD), however on August 8, 2023 an additional ESD was called upon to report to work pre-shift to assist
with the overflow calls being routed to Molokai. This dedicated team includes working supervisors who also handle
calls, dispatch police, fire and medics. Collectively, they oversee ESD personnel whether they are seasoned
professionals or newcomers.
In a valiant display of community service, former emergency services dispatchers volunteered to return to work and
support the operation. Their selfless commitment is a true testament to the strong sense of community aloha that
thrives in Maui County.
RECOMMENDATION 12 - The three call taker stations within
communications should be equipped with radio capabilities allowing them
to receive and dispatch additional support and calls.
RECOMMENDATION 11 – During an EOC activation, provide a senior
officer (lieutenant or above) stationed within the Wailuku
Communications Center to liaise between dispatch and relay information
to commanders in command posts and the EOC and DOC as necessary.
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On August 8, 2023 communications received an unprecedented 4,523 calls for service, spanning police, fire and
medical emergencies. In addition to calls regarding the fires, calls continued to come in regarding other issues,
including cases of family abuse, fire alarms, reckless driving, motor vehicle collisions, requests for personal assistance
as well as life threatening and non-life-threatening medical calls. The communications section heroically managed
to get these callers support, while also attending to the thousands of incoming calls for service from the Lahaina and
Kula fires.
During August 8, 2023, our 9-1-1 dispatch center was inundated with calls from the public. Dispatchers answered
9-1-1 while simultaneously handling radio transmissions by first responders. Dispatch initially received over 200
calls to 9-1-1 in addition to hundreds more to the non-emergency number.
Dispatch received many phone calls asking for updates on road closures. Callers complained that phone updates
were not communicated in a timely manner.
B. Maui Police Department’s Public Information Officer
A Public Information Officer (PIO) plays a crucial role in managing and facilitating communication between their
agency, the public, media, and partner agencies. The PIO serves as the primary point of contact between the police
department and its stakeholders, collaborates with other emergency response agencies and organizations during
joint operations or incidents, prepares and releases press releases, organizes press conferences, and uses various
communication channels to keep the public informed.
MPD has one civilian PIO on staff. As local, national, and international media documented August 8, 2023 events,
MPD’s PIO produced police-related press releases and social media posts, answered community inquiries via email
and social media, responded to media inquiries, coordinated media interviews, monitored media and social media
coverage, attended various multi-agency response meetings, responded to the JIC as needed, and liaised with other
RECOMMENDATION 13 – Increase personnel through retention
compensation and equitable pay for the emergency services
communications personnel provides.
RECOMMENDATION 14 – Upgrade the CAD and hardware systems to
newer equipment and software with capacity and ability to manage large
data files.
RECOMMENDATION 15 – In the event of a disaster the public should be
directed to call a dedicated phone line. This phone line needs to be
messaged in such a way that it is as common as 4-1-1, 8-1-1-, 9-1-1 etc. so
that the public knows who to call, i.e. for road closures, hazards,
evacuations, shelters, or any other emergency messaging.
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PIOs, and kept in daily contact with the Mayor's communication team to ensure accurately disseminated information
regarding police-related event response.
C. The EOC’s Joint Information Center
A Joint Information Center (JIC) is a communication hub established during a crisis or emergency to facilitate
transparent information-sharing among multiple government entities and other relevant stakeholders. The purpose
of a JIC is to ensure that accurate, timely, and consistent information is disseminated to the public, media, and other
involved parties during a crisis in one collective voice.
The release of information to the public during an incident of this magnitude is extremely important. The County of
Maui set up a JIC in an annex building on the same grounds as the Kalana O Maui County Building. Public Information
Officers throughout the State of Hawaii and other government agencies came to assist, including the Hawaii Police
Department, Hawaii Department of Public Safety, City and County of Honolulu, County of Kauai, Department of
Defense, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Cal Fire, FEMA, etc.
D. Request for Information
The Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), chapter 92F, Hawaii Revised Statues (“UIPA”), is Hawaii’s public
records law.
UIPA §92-F-2 Purposes; rules of construction states:
In a democracy, the people are vested with the ultimate decision-making power. Government agencies exist to aid
the people in the formation and conduct of public policy. Transparency of the government processes to public
scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public’s interest. Therefore,
the legislature declares that it is the policy of this State that the formation and conduct of public policy. Opening up
the government processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting
the public’s interest. Therefore, the legislature declares that it is the policy of this State that the formation and
conduct of public policy – the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of government agencies – shall be
conducted as openly as possible.
To promote its underlying purposes and policies, which are to:
(1) Promote the public interest in disclosure;
(2) Provide for accurate, relevant, timely, and complete government records;
(3) Enhance governmental accountability through a general policy of access to government records;
(4) Make government accountable to individuals in the collection, use, and dissemination of
information relating to them; and
RECOMMENDATION 16 – The police department PIO should be set up
autonomous from other department(s) within their respective county to
be able to message police information as timely as possible throughout
any police involved disaster.
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(5) Balance the individual privacy interest and the public access interest, allowing access unless it would
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. . [L 1988, c 262, pt of §1]
Source: State of Hawaii Office of Information Practices
https://oip.hawaii.gov/laws-rules-opinions/uipa/uniform-information-practices-act-uipa/#92F2
The UIPA requests regarding governmental information/response to the incident are voluminous. The majority of
requests were from media outlets, with MPD, MFD, MEMA, the Mayor's office, etc., receiving multiple and
sometimes duplicative requests. As county personnel were tasked with various fire-related responsibilities in
addition to their regular duties, the County of Maui's Corporation Counsel took the lead on tracking all UIPA fire-
related requests.