Office of the Governor — News Release — Gov. Green Signs EP Funding Operation Hoʻopauahi to Prepare for Wildfire Season

STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
 
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

 KE KIAʻĀINA

GOVERNOR GREEN SIGNS EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION FUNDING OPERATION HOʻOPAUAHI
IN PREPARATION FOR WILDFIRE SEASON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2026

HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, Commander in Chief of the Hawai‘i National Guard (HING), today signed an emergency proclamation that authorizes the Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan, to activate the HING when needed. Logan will use that authorization to initiate the second year of Operation Hoʻopauahi (to extinguish fire) to keep air crews ready to provide aerial firefighting capabilities to augment county- and state-level first responders.

“For the second year, we are taking steps to ensure Hawaiʻi is prepared and the valuable time needed for response is accelerated. This proclamation will provide funding for full flight operations, refueling and maintenance support during the wildfire season starting in June,” said Governor Green. “The Hawaiʻi National Guard may also leverage units performing Annual Training this month to quickly and effectively respond.”

Other Hawaiʻi National Guard resources such as evacuation teams, traffic control support and security missions, can also be activated quickly under the proclamation, which covers June 1 through November 30.

“Operation Hoʻopauahi exemplifies the Hawaiʻi National Guard anticipating a need and then being there to support it,” said Major General Logan. “The Guard is Always Ready, Always There.”

Operation Hoʻopauahi will keep three helicopters postured to fly and immediately support any county in the state, which increases the capacity to contain and extinguish a fire in its early stage. A Hawaiʻi Army National Guard CH-47F Chinook and an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter will be located on Oʻahu and an additional Blackhawk will be staged in Hilo.

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency and the Hawaiʻi National Guard are in constant communication with the county emergency managers and stand ready to support when and if needed.

“This initiative allows HIEMA to quickly support county wildfire operations, with posturing our HING resources,” said Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Administrator James Barros. “Operation Hoʻopauahi is an example of how the state and our county partners are taking this proactive stance as we face another dangerous wildfire season.”

The 2025 Operation Hoʻopauahi iteration proved the extraordinary value of this proactive posture, with Guard air crews logging 105 flight hours and dropping 283,908 gallons of water on four major fires while maintaining a quick response time.

Images from the 2025 Operation Hoʻopauahi are available.
Credit: Hawaiʻi Department of Defense.

The emergency proclamation can be found here.

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