Maui Mayor Richard Bissen has selected Amos Lonokailua-Hewett as the new administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency as of Jan. 1.
This comes after former Administrator Herman Andaya stepped down on Aug. 17. He faced criticism for his decision not to activate the siren warning system amid the Maui fires. He cited health reasons for his departure from the position.
Darryl Oliveira, the former head of Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, then took over day-to-day operations in an interim capacity.
Before Lonokailua-Hewett's new position leading the county's emergency preparedness and response efforts, he was with the Maui Fire Department for 25 years before retiring in 2019 as a battalion chief.
As head of the MFD training division, Lonokailua-Hewett established the Fire Ground Operations program in 2010 and served nine years as the program director developing the department’s “live fire” program, according to a county news release.
The county said he was the first instructor in the State of Hawaiʻi's Blue Card program which provided incident command and control certification for fire officers, serving as the program director for eight years.
In a news release, Bissen said Lonokailua-Hewett is deeply committed to the community's well-being.
"His extensive history with the Maui Fire Department and the emergency management profession, combined with his experience with our Maui County emergency operating center will contribute greatly to strengthening our emergency management efforts," Bissen said in a statement.
Lonokailua-Hewett completed a bachelor's degree in fire administration in 2017, and received a master's degree in public administration with an emphasis on emergency services management in 2019 from Columbia Southern University, according to the county.
