Wildland Fires in the Hawaiian Rainforest

1. Jack Minassian Pacific Island Fire Management Officer Claudette Moreno Pacific Island Fire Program Asst. Wildland Fires in the Hawaiian Rainforest

2. Introduction • Fire Management Plan states we will suppress all wildland fires regardless of ignition source to protect the public, natural, cultural and historic resources of the Park. • On May 16, 2002 lava ignited a wildland fire in the rainforest of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park • First time since 1916 we had a wildland fire in a closed canopy rainforest during a normal rainfall year

3. Management Objectives • Firefighter and Visitor Safety • Protection of the Rainforest by minimizing fire spread from volcanic ignition • Manage the fire cost-effectively for the values at risk

4. Wildland Fires • Kupukupu Fire, 3407 acres, 5/16 -10/1/02 • Mau Loa Fire, 100 acres, 8/1 - 9/25/02 • Lepo Ahi Fire, 86 acres, 11/7 - 12/31/02 • Panau Iki Fire, 2019 acres, 1/2 - 5/11/03 • Luhi Fire, 4930 acres, 5/12 - 9/3/03

5. Facts • Fire Activity started on May 16, 2002 and ended September 3, 2003 (15.5 months) • 457 Personnel from the mainland • 5.1 million in suppression costs • 10,542 acres burned • 4212 Helicopter Hours

7. Details about this topic Supporting information and examples How it relates to your audience Lava Flow for 20 yrs.

9. Real Life • Give an example or real life anecdote • Sympathize with the audience’s situation if appropriate

17. Why Did We Have these Fires Now? • They came about when several factors all came into alignment • The two most influential parameters affecting fire behavior are Wind and RH • Thresholds were when winds exceeded 10 mph at eye level and RH drops below 60%

20. Kupukupu Fire • May 16, 2002 - October 1, 2002 • 3407 acres • Combination of winds and RH • Winds were in excess of 20 mph. • RH was below 50%

21. Panau Iki Fire • January 2, 2003 - May 11, 2003 • 2019 acres • Winds were 50 mph for 48 hrs.

22. Luhi Fire • May 12, 2003 - September 3, 2003 • 4930 acres • No wind • RH was 7%

25. Details about this topic Supporting information and examples How it relates to your audience So Why Fires Now?

26. Suppression Issues • Building line to mineral soil was marginally effective. • Burning out was effective in some areas. • Due to the remoteness, there were days when we could not take suppression actions due to weather and/or Vog. • High winds, changing cloud cover, etc. • Helicopter Availability

30. What Was Successful • We were able to control the headfires within 48 hrs. • Combination • Line construction. • Burn out. • Mop-up hot spots.

34. Think Outside the Box • Dozers • Fireline Explosives • Weedeaters • Leaf blowers

35. Issues • We could not set up a fire camp • The topography, fuels, and weather are different • Some personnel from the mainland had a hard time adapting, understanding and underestimating the complexity • Accurate Weather Forecast • Transportation

36. Safety • 15.5 months • 457 personnel from the mainland • One Knee Injury • One person with twig up the right nostril • Animal Bite • Coming over sick • Coral cuts, etc. • Vog

37. VOG - Sulphur Dioxide

39. Impacts • Fire Management Staff morale • Normal Fire Operations • Other Park Operations • Park Visitors were only slightly impacted

40. Lessons Learned • We had a learning curve on developing fire suppression techniques in the Rainforest • We had to rethink that our Rainforest was not fireproof • Expanded Dispatch • Ordering Manager from North Zone

41. Conclusion • Mission Possible • The Park with assistance from the fire community has made a heroic effort to protect the rainforest • The resources protected cannot be measured in dollars • Witnessing the evolution of the Hawaiian Islands