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.
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