HCR168 HD1

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	168
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THAT THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL AND THE STATE FIRE COUNCIL CLEARLY DEFINE STAGES OF WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION AND RELATED EFFORTS IN THE HAWAII STATE FIRE CODE.

WHEREAS, some of our nation’s most devastating fires have been the result of lingering hotspots reigniting; and

WHEREAS, the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 which destroyed over 2,500 structures, the 2021 Boulder County fire which was the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history, and the 2023 Lahaina fire which was the deadliest fire in the United States in over a century, were each caused by the reignition of earlier, seemingly quelled blazes; and

WHEREAS, worsening drought conditions and more severe weather events associated with strong wind gusts intensify the risk of wildfire and increase the difficulty of firefighting efforts; and

WHEREAS, having clear definitions related to wildfire stages when communicating with the public and for internal guidelines for fire operations and suppression actions, formal reporting, and fire safety regulations would allow for cohesion in understanding of terminology and the execution of appropriate protocols; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the Senate concurring, that the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the State Fire Council work together to clearly define stages of wildfire suppression and related efforts in the Hawaii State Fire Code; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following terms are included in defined terminology: “uncontrolled”, “contained”, “controlled”, “extinguished”, and “fully extinguished”; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the definition of “fully extinguished” include the necessitation of constant monitoring to ensure the absence of hotspots or smoke for a minimum of forty-eight hours, and under red flag warning or drought conditions, ninety-six hours; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the State Fire Marshal, State Fire Council, county fire chiefs, each county’s Fire Prevention Bureau, President of the Hawaii State Senate, and Speaker of the Hawaii State House of Representatives.