Empowering Communities: Join the Firewise USA® Movement in Hawaii

2024 Firewise Funds Application

Now open (on a rolling basis until April 30, 2024, or until funds are exhausted) for current Firewise sites to apply for grant awards to support wildfire risk reduction projects for this year’s Wildfire Community Preparedness Month (May 2024).

Apply now

The Firewise USA® program helps communities adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent losses.

In Hawaiʻi, 17 communities have currently joined the nationwide network of more than 1,500 recognized Firewise USA® sites, taking action and ownership in preparing and protecting their homes against the threat of wildfire.

The benefits of becoming a recognized Firewise Community include:

Increase wildfire safety and resiliency
Unite together as a community
Build new partnerships
Gain greater access to federal grant funding for projects
Be a part of a growing movement in Hawaii and across the nation
Have lots of fun!

Download the brochure

From 2004 to 2014, Kohala-by-the-Sea was the only Firewise Community in the state. In July 2015, HWMO began working with communities statewide to help them achieve Firewise Community Recognition.

The recognition program is part of a nationwide effort of over 1,500 neighborhoods (and counting) working towards a common goal: protecting the community from wildfire. Since 2015, HWMO has assisted 17 communities on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Oʻahu to help them achieve national Firewise Communities recognition.