Firewise Committee honoree

Left to right: Harold Mayo, Jane Mayo (current KBTS Firewise Committee President), Denise Laitinen, Diana Bonnici, past KBTS Firewise Committee President, and Andy Bonnici. (COURTESY PHOTO)

The Kohala By The Sea (KBTS) Firewise Committee honored Hawaii Coordinator Denise Laitinen with a special plaque on May 17 in Hilo for her 12 years of service to the community and her tireless efforts to promote wildfire safety throughout Hawaii.

Kohala By The Sea is one of only 34 communities in the entire country to maintain its national Firewise recognition for more than a decade. As Firewise Coordinator for the entire state, Laitinen has provided area residents with educational materials, taught workshops on creating defensible space and helped identify and implement wildfire prevention projects.