HWMO 2013 Community Outreach and Education Summary

By Pablo Beimler
2013 has been yet another solid year for HWMO in terms of reaching out to a vast number and range
of people about Hawaiis wildfire issues. Our outreach strategies have broadened over the coarse of
the year with the creation of a re-vamped website (see below), increased social media presence (see
below), and an array of different events we have attended or facilitated (see following pages for event
details). We have also completed two different school curriculums: the Know Fire K-8th Grade
Classroom Wildfire Curriculum & the Waikoloa Wildfire Safety Park Demonstration Garden
Curriculum. As of right now, we are in the middle of developing the states first Hawaii-specific
Ready, Set, Go: Personal Wildland Fire Action Guide that will become a focal outreach distribution
material for HWMO and other fire agencies for years to come.
HWMOs Web Media Expansion
Google+
LinkedIn
YouTube
Facebook
Flickr
Twitter
New HWMO Website
Project page now organized
by HWMOs 3 areas of
concentration: Prevention,
Pre-suppression, & Post-Fire
Feb. 2: Cherry Blossom Festival, Parker Ranch Center, Waimea
HWMO attended this years Cherry Blossom Festival to promote
current projects and to hand out material regarding wildfire
prevention and awareness.
Mar. 1: Nahelehele Dryland Forest Symposium, King Kam. Kona
Beach Hotel, Kona
The 7th annual Dryland Forest Symposium was headlined by
presenters from multiple agencies concerned with restoring Hawaiis
rare dryland forests. Elizabeth Pickett and Tom Loomis were invited to
present our poster representing both HWMO and PFX.
Sep. 14: Wiliwili Festival, Waikoloa School, Waikoloa
HWMOs newest addition to the organization, Pablo Beimler, and
Nalani Ludwig spent the day at the Waikoloa School handing out information regarding fire awareness to
community members. The event, hosted by the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative (WDFI), attracted a couple
hundred people who took interest in the important mission of saving our rare Dryland Forests! Wildfire is one
of the biggest threats to the dry forest, and WDFI is an important HWMO partner.
Oct. 5: Hilo Fire Prevention Week, Bayfront Park, Hilo
Pablo Beimler set up a booth representing HWMO and PFX down
in Hilo for this year's Fire Prevention Week. The theme for the
event, "Prevent Kitchen Fires," did not go unnoticed, as local
firefighters helped kids put out demonstration stove fires with
fire extinguishers. Other exciting demonstrations included a "Jaws
of Life" car rescue and a helicopter rescue right there on the
shore of Bayfront Park. Although it rained throughout the day, a
few hundred people (mostly families with their kids) made it out
to the event. We passed out a number of "Ready, Set, Go"
preparedness guides, NFPA pamphlets, and a great deal of Smokey
the Bear gear. We also spoke to a few firefighters about the
Pacific Fire Exchange, which they took great interest in. All in all,
another successful event that left the kids more aware about fire
safety and with a smile on their face.
HWMO 2013 Community Outreach Events
Oct. 25: Parker School Presentation and Workshop, Parker
School, Waimea
The HWMO team traveled down the road from our office to
Parker School for a Make a Difference Day event. Carolyn
Stewart and Elizabeth Pickett teamed up to give presentations to
a class of high school students regarding watershed and fire
issues, respectively. Afterwards, even given a long day of field
work the students endured, the students were enthusiastic
enough to join us for an outdoor activity. Pablo Beimler and Tom
Loomis set up dioramas that demonstrated direct/indirect point
source pollution. We had students simulate pollution events
ranging from leaky septic tanks to agricultural runoff to post-fire
erosion. The students not only learned a great deal in such a
short period of time, they had quite a blast pouring cocoa
powder and Kool-aid (pollutants) into the model and watching
the unfortunate aftermath. If only it were as easy to start our
watersheds from scratch the way we did by simply pouring the
pollutants out of the sea and giving the dioramas a nice rinse.
Oct. 26: Kona Fire Prevention Week, Wal-Mart
Parking Lot, Kona
Once a year, the entire HWMO team gathers together
for an outreach event. Saturday, October 26th, 2013, was
that day, which was Fire Prevention Week in Kona at the
Wal-Mart parking lot. By showing up in full force, we
were able to reach out to a great number and variety of
visiting families, ranging from local to mainlanders to
even those from Japan. We gave out a stack of "Ready,
Set, Go" brochures, among other important fire safety
guides; And, of course, the kids walked home with a
collection of our Smokey goods. Some great events
occurred throughout the day including a simulation put on by HFD firefighters demonstrating a live-action
Jaws of Life "rescue," which kept the crowd on their toes. Afterwards, the annual Bucket Brigade Competition
was held, featuring 16 teams of all ages and backgrounds. HWMO happened to be one of those teams, and we
ended up landing a 5th place finish. Our team was as cohesive and fluid as ever, but we fell short to those who
know how to put out fires best: HFD and their staff.
Oct. 26: Kona Home Show, Sheraton Resort, Keauhou
Pablo Beimler extended our outreach day into the late afternoon by representing BIWCG and HWMO at the
Kona Home Show at the Sheraton Resort in Keauhou. The indoor event hosted a wide range of vendors, but our
booth was unique in that we provided valuable information for protecting homes and families from disasters
such as wildfires. From 2-5pm, when HWMO hosted the booth, a few dozen people stopped by to talk and learn
about HWMO and PFX and information on how to safeguard homes and communities from wildfire.
Oct. 29: Ocean Warriors Fire Lesson, Park and Ride,
Waikoloa
HWMO collaborated with the Ocean Warriors program for
a Fire Day in Waikoloa. Elizabeth Pickett and Pablo Beimler
met with Tom Loomis and Maja Sommerfeld from Ocean
Warriors to give a lesson on fire ecology and issues
relevant to the Waikoloa region. Wildfire issues in
Waikoloa are some of the most rampant on the island and
are tied into ocean issues due to post-fire erosion and
runoff events. The middle school students also enjoyed an
informative guest lecture by Jen Lawson of one of HWMO's
many local partner organizations: Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative. Jen touched on the importance of restoring
native dryland forest vegetation to help combat the vicious fire cycle that has severely reduced the populations
and chances for the repopulation of native dryland species. As part of the concluding events to help the
students visualize the fire cycle, we put on a game of "fire tag" which the energized kids thoroughly enjoyed.
Dec. 7: Waikoloa Parade & Banjys Keiki Festival, Waikoloa
As another example of HWMO's strengthening partnerships, we
connected with DOFAW's Smokey the Bear for this year's Waikoloa
Parade and Banjy's Keiki Festival. A full day begun with Smokey
marching along the parade route, only to fall behind due to the
constant inflow of fan photo-ops. Not only kids, but adults were just as
happy to take photos with Smokey, who in turn reminded all that "only
YOU can prevent forest fires." The fanfare continued into the Banjy's
restaurant at the Keiki Festival's Craft Fair. Pablo Beimler set up a
booth with all of our outreach materials, including new Firewise
brochures and HWMO overview flyers and a brand new poster-board
layout. Dozens of keiki stopped by the booth to collect Smokey gear
and a great deal of adults received brief lessons about fire safety and
the newest updates from HWMO and PFX. All in all, another
successful, exciting outreach day, thanks much in part to
Smokey's generosity!
Event # Attendees # Booth Visits
Cherry Blossom Festival 1000 100
Nahelehele Symposium 150 100
Wiliwili Festival 200 50
Hilo Fire Prevention Week 400 80
Kona Fire Prevention Week 500 100
Event # Attendees # Booth Visits
Parker School Workshop 30 -
Kona Home Show 500 40
Ocean Warriors Fire Day 10 -
Waikoloa Parade/Keiki Fest 250 80
2013 Outreach Event Summary Statistics