HONOLULU (KHON2) — Even before the bill signing officially establishing the job of state Fire Marshal, newly appointed Dori Booth was already on the job, standing with firefighters in Nanakuli and Maili.
“Even yesterday, we were there with our firefighters, the airport firefighters, they brought out water tankers and resources. We had a Fed fire guys. So it was awesome to see everybody working so closely together. And without that collaboration, I think that fire could have easily gotten out of hand,” said Dori Booth, state Fire Marshal.
The creation of the state Fire Marshal position was one of the key wildfire prevention recommendations made in the wake of the Lahaina disaster.
Booth, a seasoned fire prevention specialist, now leads a new statewide office with enforcement authority and the responsibility to coordinate fire resources across all counties.
“We now have an office and someone in charge of 40 hours a week that’s able to go and focus on the issues that are prevalent at the state level and solve those problems,” said Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief and Hawaiʻi State Fire Council chair, Kazuo Todd.
The state Fire Marshal confirmed that Alert West Wildfire Detection cameras were used this weekend to help monitor and respond to the fast-moving brush fires in Nanakuli and Maili – part of new tools being deployed to catch fires earlier and protect communities.
“This is what we’re seeing. This is what they might need, and being able to kind of advise and preload the resources that are available, even if an emergency proclamation isn’t needed yet,” said Booth.
Booth says resources and training are her top priorities as she begins her new role. She says the biggest challenge will be changing the way people feel and think about fire prevention.
“We’ve got to change the way people feel and learn the way they think. And then once you get that thought process changing, their actions change,” said Booth. “Now you can’t just say the homeowners are going to do more things, or the state needs to do more things, or the counties. We all have to work together in order for this ecosystem to build out and be safer.”
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As the summer wildfire season is only just beginning, Booth may be diving into what could be one of the most important public safety roles Hawaiʻi has ever seen.