“While the Department of Land and Natural Resources maintains an excellent relationship with all four county fire departments, Mayor Hannemann’s statements about our efforts are patently false and diminish the good work of Honolulu firefighters who work collaboratively with state forestry firefighters.
“For the record, on Tuesday, July 21, 18 DLNR firefighters took the lead on the Kaena Point wild fire along with 14 federal and eight county firefighters.
“The next day, the four DLNR firefighters remaining at Kaena Point received a call requesting assistance for a separate fire in Makua. They deployed and were in route when they were told the fire was under control.
“The Division of Forestry and Wildlife routinely receives calls for assistance from the counties and we have always responded. Contrary to Mayor Hannemann’s statement, the state will continue to respond to ensure the public’s safety.
“DLNR also provides an annual grant of approximately $50,000 to each county to assist their firefighting efforts as well as ensure the county firefighters receive training on fighting wildfires.
“We have an excellent relationship with Honolulu Fire Department, and it is really a shame the Mayor didn’t take the time to learn the facts about our past, current and future collaborative efforts before denigrating the good work of our state firefighters."