Our Story
From Lahaina to Open-Source Wildfire Defense
HFS didn't start with engineering specs. It started on a tug boat headed to Maui with a cargo deck full of diapers, Starlinks, and school supplies — because nobody else was getting them there fast enough.
August 2023: Lahaina
On August 8, 2023, a wildfire driven by Hurricane Dora's winds tore through Lahaina, Maui — destroying over 2,200 structures and killing 101 people. It became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century.
Within days it was clear that the county's disaster logistics weren't keeping up. Supply distribution was bottlenecked, aid was sitting in warehouses on O'ahu, and the people of Lahaina were waiting.
So we went ourselves — by tug boat. Commercial shipping channels were overwhelmed and under-coordinated by the county, so a group of us arranged direct transport from Honolulu to Lahaina Harbor.
Before loading, we did something that sounds obvious but apparently wasn't happening at scale: we asked people what they actually needed.
What Lahaina Actually Asked For
Real food
Not MREs — actual meals people wanted to eat
Heineken
Seriously. People had lost everything and wanted normalcy
Starlink terminals
Cell towers were down; Starlinks were the only reliable internet
School supplies
Kids still needed to learn, even in a disaster zone
Laptops
For insurance claims, FEMA applications, communication
Diapers & baby supplies
Families with infants had the most urgent daily needs
We loaded the tug boats with exactly what was requested and delivered it directly. No warehouse middlemen, no county logistics chain — just supplies to the people who needed them.
Rebuilding Sacred Hearts Lahaina
Sacred Hearts Academy Lahaina — a school serving local families — was among the structures damaged. With the school year approaching and no permanent facility available, students needed somewhere to go.
I organized a team of fellow Eagle Scouts and connected with local Maui contractors who knew the building codes, had the equipment, and wanted to help. Together, we built a temporary campus so the kids of Lahaina could get back to school.
It wasn't glamorous work — framing, roofing, running electrical with licensed contractors, setting up temporary classrooms. But it got done because a group of people who knew how to build things showed up and built them.
That experience changed how I thought about disaster response. The government and large NGOs will eventually arrive — but the gap between disaster and response is where the real damage compounds. Families displaced for weeks. Kids missing school. Insurance claims filed from a phone with no internet.
From Response to Prevention
Lahaina taught me that disaster response — no matter how fast — is inherently reactive. By the time you're loading tug boats, homes are already gone and people are already displaced.
The question that stuck with me: What if those homes had never burned in the first place?
The technology exists. Exterior sprinkler systems, foam applicators, and automated fire detection have been documented saving homes in wildfires for decades. But commercial systems cost $25,000+ installed — out of reach for the average homeowner, and certainly out of reach for communities like Lahaina.
HFS is the answer to that problem. A complete, engineering-validated, open-source wildfire defense system that any homeowner can build for approximately $7,000 in materials. The design has been validated through EPANET 2.2 hydraulic simulation — all 4 defense zones pass at both municipal pressure (100 PSI) and backup tank pressure (60 PSI).
No company. No investors. No revenue model. Just open-source plans that anyone can use.
Who's Behind This
My name is Riley. I'm an Eagle Scout based in Honolulu. After the Lahaina wildfire, I spent months on the ground in Maui doing direct relief work — delivering supplies by tug boat, building a temporary school campus with fellow Eagle Scouts and local contractors, and learning firsthand what communities need when everything fails at once.
HFS is a solo project. I designed the system, built the hydraulic models, wrote the detection layer, and created this website. I'm not a corporation — I'm one person who saw what wildfire does to a community and decided to publish the engineering so no one has to pay $25,000 for something that should be open knowledge.
Important: What HFS Is Not
Not certified fire safety equipment. HFS is a community research project. It has not been tested or certified by UL, FM Global, or any fire safety certification body.
Not a substitute for evacuation. If authorities issue an evacuation order, leave immediately. No property defense system replaces safe evacuation.
Not professional installation advice. Consult a licensed plumber and electrician for installation. Follow all local building codes and regulations.
Want to Help?
HFS is open source and community-driven. Whether you're an engineer, a firefighter, a homeowner in a fire zone, or just someone who thinks this should exist — there's a way to contribute.
Get in Touch
Questions, feedback, or want to collaborate — reach out directly.
Or email: riley@honolulufireshield.com