hawaii_wf_4.txt

In the early morning of August 9, 2023, the officer further assisted in coordinating transportation for people who
had taken refuge in the ocean to escape the fire, ensuring they reached the emergency shelter safely.
Officer Account 8
On August 8, 2023, at 6:00 a.m., Lahaina Patrol supervisor for the Lahaina District was assigned to address multiple
safety hazards reported by the previous shift including downed trees, utility poles, power lines, debris on roads,
power outages, non-functional traffic signals, and compromised cellular and internet services.
Patrol officers were tasked with responding to service calls and evaluating safety conditions. Early in the shift, a
report came in about two utility poles falling near Starbucks on Keawe Street leading to road closures and traffic
redirection.
There were multiple reports of downed power lines on Honoapiilani Highway near Launiupoko Beach Park, and a
large trailer was said to have caused extensive damage to power lines. Additionally, multiple poles had fallen on the
highway between Hokiokio Place and Aholo Road, also completely blocking traffic. The supervisor headed to the
Keawe Street area, observing the precarious situation near the shopping center and a loose traffic signal.
A brush fire was later reported near Kuialua Street and Lahainaluna Road. The supervisor assisted in evacuating
residences as the fire, fueled by strong winds, changed direction. The fire later appeared to be under control and
evacuations stopped.
A series of incidents then occurred, including a tree blocking traffic near Olowalu village. A roof blowing off of a
residence on Aki Street causing damage and the front portion of a house on Kauhi Place being torn off. The
supervisor observed officers overwhelmed with traffic and pedestrian control at Honoapiilani Highway and Keawe
Street due to downed utility poles, high voltage lines, and other hazards. Keawe Street was totally closed at points
for safety reasons, as well as to allow utility workers to fix the poles.
Later that day, multiple poles and lines were reported down between Papalaua Street and Lahainaluna Road,
rendering that roadway impassable. The Lahaina Jodo Mission reported roof damage, and a large tree fell in the
Lahaina Cannery Mall parking lot. Multiple utility poles and connected wires crashed into the highway between
Keawe Street and Kapunakea Street totally obstructing multiple lanes between the intersections. At the Honoapiilani
and Kapunakea intersection, lines were suspended and spider-webbed over the roadway, completely obstructing
the roadway and rendering it impassable. Another brush fire "flare up" was then reported near Kuialua Street
requiring officers to reassess the fire.
The supervisor continued to navigate between various traffic posts, ensuring the safety of officers and the public
amid dangerous road conditions. They responded to the rapidly spreading fire near Lahainaluna Road, with thick
smoke and low visibility making the situation challenging. Evacuations were carried out, and officers escorted water
tankers to assist fire units.
As the fire progressed, the supervisor directed traffic and assisted in evacuations, including an elderly male reported
to be in a burning residence. With roads blocked by fallen poles and debris, traffic became gridlocked, and the
supervisor worked to facilitate the clearance of congested areas.
The fire spread toward the Lahaina Civic Center, prompting a large-scale evacuation of over a thousand people, many
without vehicles. The supervisor coordinated the transportation of these individuals to Maui Preparatory Academy.
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Throughout the night, the supervisor continued to assist in evacuation efforts and manage traffic until being relieved.
Upon returning to Lahaina town at sunrise, the supervisor witnessed ongoing fires, roadway obstructions, and the
first casualties were discovered emphasizing the severity and widespread impact of the incident.
Officer Account 9
In the morning and extending into the early afternoon of August 8, 2023, Lahaina experienced severe weather
conditions that led to multiple calls for service. This officer, along with Lahaina command staff set up a command
post to organize and track police response and duties. Later in the afternoon, around 2:55 p.m., Lahaina patrol units
were dispatched to the rapidly spreading wildfire near Kuialua Street. Officers abandoned the physical command
post and continued their duties on the road as the need for more manpower became quickly evident. In response,
this officer, driving on Lahainaluna Road, encountered thick smoke and flames, leading to an immediate decision to
close the road from new traffic accessing it from the bypass and the highway. This was done to prevent potential
accidents and facilitate emergency responses.
The officer's task involved evacuating local residents, some of which were reluctant to immediately leave. A
particularly dangerous fire situation was encountered near Kalena Street, where the proximity of flames to the road
posed risks to both first responders and the public. Later, the officer was actively involved in directing traffic away
from the fire area, with the danger heightened by airborne burning debris. Collaborative efforts to evacuate a senior
living center were impeded by thick dark smoke, impacting visibility and other obstructions rendering access
impossible.
Severe traffic congestion, especially on Komo Mai Street, became a critical challenge. The officer, along with other
law enforcement units, worked on managing traffic and easing congestion.
Shortly after that, the officer worked with a retired MPD department employee to identify evacuation routes for
residents, using a dirt road behind his residence. This required a community member cutting through a locked gate
to create an emergency escape route which led numerous people to safety.
The officer continued working with the community to break through another series of gates that had been previously
obstructing egress out of the now fire trapped Kelawea Mauka neighborhood, and therefore freeing evacuees to
safety.
Upon seeing the fire working its way toward Lahaina Intermediate School, the officer again teamed with other
officers and community members to fight the fire themselves, using garden hoses and shovels to cut firebreaks
manually.
The officer continued managing traffic in congested areas and conducted welfare checks, as well as sought help from
a local excavation company for creating firebreaks, facilitating safer evacuations.
During the evening hours, the officer was coordinating evacuations in various neighborhoods, including Kahoma
Village.
As the fire neared the Lahaina Gateway Shopping Center, the officer focused on evacuating the Ipu Kula Way area.
They also assisted people near the Lahaina Cannery Mall, including transporting people to safety.
After coordinating evacuations and conducting welfare checks, the officer regrouped with colleagues at the Lahaina
Police Station. Due to the impending fire threat of the police station and the emergency shelter located at the
Lahaina Civic Center, they evacuated the Lahaina Police Station and relocated to the Napili Sub Station. Through the
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night until the morning hours, the officer aided displaced individuals at the emergency shelter now located at the
Maui Preparatory Academy, providing necessary assistance and information.
Officer Account 10
On August 8, 2023, an officer was called back to assist with storm response in Lahaina town. Arriving at
approximately 9:30 a.m., the officer was assigned to traffic control at Honoapiilani Highway and Keawe Street, facing
challenges from strong winds and flying debris. The officer managed traffic amidst fluctuating accessibility of Keawe
Street, which was intermittently closed for safety and utility repairs, causing significant congestion at his location
and other key intersections.
At approximately 2:50 p.m., the officer observed multiple utility poles breaking at their base and falling into the
highway, obstructing multiple lanes. Further north, the highway was completely impassable due to fallen poles and
utility wires spider-webbed across the highway.
The situation worsened with the onset of the fire at around 2:55 p.m., further complicating traffic management. The
officer played a crucial role in managing the quickly evolving traffic scenario amidst the fire. The officer directed
traffic into the Lahaina Cannery Mall parking lot and onto Front Street, northbound, as well as guided vehicles to the
Lahaina Bypass for southbound travel when it was safe to do so. The officer continued by rerouting traffic to
alternative streets and parking lots and communicated evacuation instructions to residents via the P.A. system in
the officer’s vehicle.
By 4:40 p.m., the officer identified major traffic buildup on Front Street as people tried to escape the ensuing fire.
The officer responded by finding and leading evacuees through a passage for vehicles to escape northbound on
Honoapiilani Highway. This action alleviated the congestion on Front Street, allowing for more efficient evacuations.
The officer then assisted in neighborhood evacuations along Front Street, making personal contacts and using the
P.A. system. Throughout the afternoon, the police officer adapted to changing conditions, directing traffic through
various routes for safe evacuation and identifying alternative paths.
The officer continued to manage traffic posts throughout the night, focusing on facilitating the flow of evacuating
traffic and restricting incoming traffic. The officers shift concluded 24 hours later.

B. Radio Communications
Radio communications from August 8, 2023 and into the morning of August 9, 2023, resulted in over 26 hours of
recorded radio traffic. The 26 hours of recorded transmissions were meticulously reviewed and analyzed to
construct an accurate timeline and to understand the interconnected sequence of events. Radio communications
were fully functional throughout, and no issues were reported.
The countywide Public Safety Radio System (PSRS) is a Motorola Astro 25 Phase II system, consisting of 23 sites, 17
of which are repeater sites located on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii. The system has a Primary
and a Dynamic System Resilience (DSR) providing a geographically separate secondary location to maintain system
operations should the primary site be compromised or cut off from the rest of the system. MPD personnel operate
the Motorola APX 6000 portable and APX 6500 mobile radios. There are three dispatch sites in the system.
In the case of the Lahaina fires, the Maui PSRS and the State’s Hawaii Wireless Interoperability Network (HiWIN)
continued to operate while all cellular and landline fiber and copper lines were down. The Lahaina area was also hit
with a complete failure of commercial electrical service for several days. It was MPD’s investment in preceding years
in site development and microwave infrastructure development that created a county owned microwave and
Multiple Protocol Labeling System (MPLS) that maintained connectivity to all but two sites, the Hyatt Regency Maui,
and the Kaanapali Beach Club locations. There are two capital improvement projects (CIP) which are designed to
resolve this connectivity limitation by developing two additional communications facilities; one in the Makila area,
south of the Puamana subdivision, and the second at the Mahinahina Water Treatment Plant, above the Kapalua
Airport.
These locations operate on a Hawaiian Telcom MPLS link that was destroyed by the fire. During the system design,
MPD’s specifications required the successful bidder provide a means of connecting these two sites back into the
system for the Lahaina District police, fire, and emergency talk groups. When these sites were isolated, the
emergency system came online as designed, and provided on-system communications for these critical talk
groups. Without this, there was no way for the Lahaina police and fire units to communicate back to the system
with these two sites in “site trunking”, a mode where the isolated site continues to communicate to users in its
footprint, but not to other sites or systems. This provided in-building radio coverage for MPD, MFD in their
respective stations, as well as in-building coverage in the Kaanapali Resort area.
Maui Fire Department radio traffic was included in this review to further establish and capture their perspective of
events. At the onset of the afternoon Lahaina fire at 2:55 p.m. on August 8, 2023, radio communications surged
with officers coordinating evacuations as well as relaying current conditions and their subsequent actions in the
immediate and surrounding areas of the fire.
On investigation, it is evident that there were issues with radio communications at times. These issues included
periodic miscommunications. Although these issues are not a rare occurrence in everyday radio communications,
they were exacerbated due to a variety of factors that included:
 When officers stood outside of their vehicles, they had difficulty communicating and hearing in the high
winds (approximately 60 to 80 mph). This led to some misunderstandings of radio transmissions.
 With the large number of officers that self-deployed, and officers that were assigned, there was confusion
as to their respective call signs.
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 Officers experienced a high amount of radio traffic throughout the fire event. Much of this can be attributed
to the rapidly moving and widely dynamic nature of the weather and fire on that day, which led to
widespread issues across Lahaina and in turn, officers reporting and addressing these issues via radio.
 At the peak of the incident, officer staffing reached 49 in the Lahaina District. These officers were
experiencing critical events in front of them at the same time in multiple different locations, leading to a lot
of information being aired over the radio. At most times, this radio traffic was being monitored by and
responded to by a single dispatcher. Of note, on a typical day, radio channels will have at most 15 officers
working over a single radio frequency.
 There were also instances where it was apparent that officers may have missed certain transmissions. This
also can be attributed to several factors including: the fact that many officers were standing in the elements,
many officers were actively engaged in evacuations, and the sheer number of critical events happening at
the same time at different locations.
 Lahaina command completed five roll calls during the fires.