Nearly six months after wildfires destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, the Maui Police Department on Monday announced plans to prepare for future tragedies, including acquiring better equipment and placing senior officers at the island’s communications center during emergencies. The company announced that it is working to improve its response.
The changes are part of a preliminary review of what worked and what didn’t during the chaos of Aug. 8, when the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than 100 years ripped through Lahaina. This is one of 32 recommendations contained in the “After the fact” report. At least 100 people were killed in the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
“The Maui Police Department, in collaboration with other emergency response agencies, worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents, coordinate evacuations, and provide assistance to those in need,” the report said. There is. “The courage and resiliency shown by our officers, staff, first responders, and community members who continued to support their communities despite their own losses is nothing short of extraordinary.”
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Many of the report’s recommendations include improved equipment, from getting earphones for officers to use when high winds make radios difficult to hear, to equipping patrol cars with breaching kits to clear fallen trees and utility poles from roads. and technology updates.
Others are focusing on improving communication between emergency personnel and the police officers themselves, such as by placing senior police officers at the level of lieutenant or higher in communication centers to help relay information to police commanders. The report also suggested providing more detailed briefings to police officers at the scene during recovery efforts.
The fire is being investigated by outside experts at the request of the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office. The investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute is expected to take several more months to complete.
The sun shines through clouds above wildfire-scorched homes in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Police Chief John Pelletier said at a news conference Monday that the after-action report will be distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country to better prepare for a catastrophe. He defended its thoroughness, noting that it had been reviewed by two external agencies and would take another year to finalize to give it time to incorporate recommendations.
“There were a lot of quarterbacks on Monday morning, a lot of guys saying, ‘Oh my God, let’s do this, let’s do this,’ but you don’t know unless you’re there,” Pelletier said. “And if you think you can do better, MPD is hiring.”
Mr Pelletier explained that a massive effort had been undertaken to find the bodies of three people still missing from the bushfires.
“We predicted where they might have fled, sent a team of anthropologists to their estimated escape route, and then had excavators dig through the rubble,” he said. “We intend to follow up on every lead given to us and the search is not over yet.”
This wildfire was started by strong winds from a hurricane that passed far to the south and spread quickly through dry invasive grass.
Residents evacuated through black smoke that blocked out the sun and faced frequent traffic jams and road closures as police blocked roads due to fires and downed power lines. Communication failed. In the chaos, some people jumped over seawalls and fled to the sea, while others remained in their cars and died from the heat and flames.
Audio recordings of 911 calls obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request reflected the confusion and fear many residents faced, trapped in their cars and homes and unsure of where to go. With calls pouring in and police and fire departments all occupied, dispatchers were increasingly unable to call for help and were forced to rely on advice such as, “If you really need to leave, please leave.”
Footage from body cameras showed police making every effort to help. One police officer sprinted from house to house, warning people of the impending hell, while others crammed rescuers into the back seats, coughing and swearing as they passed burning buildings. I drove while following.
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The report said 42 victims were found inside the structure, 15 in cars, 39 outside and one in the ocean. Some of the remains collected were about the size of a quarter.
More than 50 victims were identified by collecting DNA from biological relatives, said Sgt. Chase Bell said at a news conference that one person reported missing had no biological relatives to provide a DNA sample. Bell said authorities obtained the hairbrush she used from a friend of her family and identified her through DNA analysis of her hair follicles.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. An Associated Press investigation said the fire may have started in an overgrown ditch under Hawaiian Electric’s power lines, where it may have first started in the morning and reignited in strong winds that afternoon. It turned out that there is a sex.
