Hawaiian Electric today announced a pact with the nonprofit Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization to help fund coordinators for its Firewise community programs.

The company said it recently paid the first $50,000 of a $260,000 commitment to HWMO, a Hawaii-based nonprofit leading wildfire preparedness efforts across the state.

HWMO locally administers the nationally recognized Firewise USA program, which helps communities organize, prepare, and take actions to protect their homes against wildfire threats.

Currently, HWMO oversees 31 Firewise communities across three counties — from Kamilonui Valley on Oahu to Kula Meadows on Maui and Waikoloa Village on Hawaii island.

The funding comes as the nonprofit’s federal grants for these programs are ending, according to Nani Barretto, HWMO co-executive director.

Since the deadly Maui wildfires occurred in August 2023, interest in the Firewise communities program has grown exponentially.

Barretto said within 10 months of the Maui wildfires, another 15 communities were added to the 15 that were already established as nationally recognized sites. Another 13 are in the application process.

Firewise program coordinators help communities think through what projects will reduce risk, provide technical assistance and bring neighbors together to share resources, among other responsibilities.

Some examples include bringing community groups together to create firebreaks in Kamilo Nui Valley, along with projects to remove invasive, fire-prone fountain grass from common areas at a Mauna Kea Resort community.

Hawaiian Electric was also a sponsor of the Hawaii Wildfire Summit in Kona last week, which brought leaders from fire departments, emergency management, forestry, natural resources, utilities, insurance, and more to discuss wildfire preparedness and management in the state.

HWMO hosted the summit in partnership with the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife and various fire departments.

“Our support of Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is a valuable investment in strengthening community resilience across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves,” said Kurt Tsue, Hawaiian Electric director of community affairs, in a news release. “Getting behind HWMO’s community-driven wildfire mitigation efforts is critical as we work in parallel to upgrade our infrastructure to reduce the risk of ignition and protect our customers and communities.”