MPD pledges action on fire safety gear for officers, but timeline unclear
MPD’s preliminary after-action report on the Lahaina wildfire confirmed most responding officers didn’t have basic equipment needed to keep them safe. That’s poised to change, but there’s still no timeline for when the gear will go out into the field. One of the recommendations in that preliminary report was to create “go bags” with personal protective equipment so that officers are prepared in the event of future fires.
Body camera video captured Aug. 8 showed the crippling effects smoke had on Maui police officers as they repeatedly risked their safety to protect property and save lives. “They didn’t have the proper masks to ensure they were able to breath safely,” said SHOPO spokesperson Dustin DeRollo. “Our expectation is that given that this is a known problem, that it would have been solved by now.”