Hawaii Army National Guard Firefighters Strengthen Interoperability During Maui Training

KAHULUI, Hawaii — Soldiers assigned to the 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting Team, 103rd Troop Command, Hawaii Army National Guard, trained alongside Maui Fire Department, Kahului Airport Rescue Firefighters and the 624th Civil Engineering Squadron, Air Force Reserve, during a joint firefighter exercise in Kahului, Hawaii, June 1-5, 2026. The training focused on improving emergency response readiness, communication and coordination between military and civilian firefighting agencies across Hawaii.

“Everybody coming from a different department or branch brings different capabilities, so knowing those capabilities and how they can serve each other is just going to enhance safety for our community and the public in the future,” said Chief Matthew Pires, Maui Airports Fire Station Chief and an Air Force Reservist, who helped coordinate the joint training, including the culminating live-fire burn exercise.

Throughout the exercise, firefighters conducted pump operations, interoperability checks, downed firefighter rescue drills, blinded mask training and live-fire suppression operations. Firefighters trained in low-visibility environments using blacked-out masks while navigating tight spaces and conducting dummy drags in heavy protective gear and oxygen tanks.

Speaking on the joint training exercise, Maui Fire Department Capt. George Dagan states that the training provided an opportunity for agencies to better understand each other’s equipment, capabilities and communication systems.

“It was a great opportunity to see what types of equipment we have and whether we’re interoperable,” Dagan said. “Communication is huge, and establishing those relationships allows us to work better together in the future.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean Sagawa, the training non-commissioned officer assigned to the 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting Team, echoed that the training helped agencies evaluate interoperability between firefighting apparatus and response procedures.

“Maui Fire Department connected their engine to the fire hydrant, and from their engine they connected to our tactical firefighting truck as well,” Sagawa said about the joint pump training.

On the final day of training, firefighters conducted suppression operations using more than 400 gallons of fuel across two training iterations to simulate real-world aircraft rescue firefighting scenarios.

“We have a fuel pit where we pour class b, or hydrocarbon fuel, into the pit and ignite it,” Pires said. “It gives firefighters a real-world sense of fighting that type of fire in the aircraft environment as that’s the main fuel aircraft use.”

Following the exercise, leaders from participating agencies said the training strengthened relationships, improved interoperability and highlighted the value of continued joint training opportunities in the future.

“The biggest benefit of this training exercise is the ability to network and build relationships,” Sagawa said. “One of these days when the governor issues a proclamation of emergency, we may have to work alongside these individuals and already having that rapport established makes working together a lot easier.”