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Test fires concern Some Waianae Coast residents are concerned over the Army's plan to hold small, limited test burns in Makua Valley later this month.
Waianae residents
The Army plans to light trial
blazes in Makua Valley to
create a fire model for HawaiiBy Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-BulletinSparky Rodrigues, president of Malama Makua, said the Army held a community meeting July 27, but "there was too short notice to give us any real time to have any type of input."
The Army plans to burn three-acre plots over a 24-hour period to determine how fires spread to develop a fire behavior model, which will be incorporated into its fire-management plan for the Makua military reservation.
Similar tests will be conducted at Schofield Barracks and the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island.
"We have taken all the variables and put them into the computer, and it has provided us with a model," said Ron Borne, 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Hawaii range officer.
"The model helps us to predict what the rate of spread will be like. But the computer uses a mainland model, so our tests will see how they are different in Hawaii."
Borne said that in the Makua Valley test, 10 to 15 plots of grass measuring 99 feet by 66 feet will be burned in three locations. The edges of the plots will be mowed and watered as safety precautions.
A controlled burn by the Army five years ago got out of control when the blaze jumped Farrington Highway and threatened campers on the beach. Stiff winds in the June 12, 1995 blaze whipped up the fire, which was supposed to clear only 900 acres of brush -- charring an additional 1,500 acres.
Borne said the test burn, which will take five to 10 minutes, will take place only if weather and wind conditions are right. Fire equipment and personnel, as well as helicopters with fire buckets, will be standing by.
"We are going to light the grass and compare how high the flame gets and how fast it moves across the plot," Borne said. "We will then take that information and update the computer model with this new criteria, and now we can better predict how a fire in Hawaii at Makua may burn so that the Army can determine what kinds of training can safely take place under different weather conditions."
No training has been held in the 4,200-acre Waianae Coast facility since September 1998, while the Army was working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a plan to protect 32 endangered species in the area.
EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, representing Malama Makua, then filed a federal lawsuit saying the Army needed to have an environmental impact statement to continue training there. The Army argued that none is needed.
In September 1999, the two parties agreed to a settlement where no training would be conducted in Makua until the Army completes an environmental assessment.
Rodrigues still would like the Army to be compelled to undertake a more inclusive environmental impact statement since that process would require military officials to get more input from the Waianae Coast community.
"Now our only chance for comment is after the process is over, and we are asked to comment on their findings," Rodrigues said. "We want the chance to participate in the process."
Military training has caused 270 fires in Makua Valley since 1970. The Army maintains that Makua is vital to its Pacific mission since it is one of the few places on Oahu that allows its soldiers to use live ammunition.