The number of brushfires on O'ahu this summer has decreased almost 40 percent from last year — a dramatic improvement that's being attributed to tougher laws, targeted enforcement and education campaigns.

Through yesterday, Honolulu firefighters had battled 466 brushfires this year, compared with 749 at this time in 2005 and 441 during the same period in 2004.

If this year's pace stays steady through December, Honolulu won't come close to last year's total of 992 fires.

Honolulu police and residents attribute the drop-off to increased community awareness, additional police patrols and a pair of new laws. The laws essentially created the criminal offense of arson and made it easier to prosecute people accused of setting brushfires.

"Police have been more visible, and the new law in place has really made a difference, especially for Wai'anae where we have a lot of open land and valleys," said Patty Teruya, chairwoman of the Wai'anae Neighborhood Board.

Teruya remembers a 2,000-acre fire that scorched Nanakuli Valley last year and came within yards of her back door.

She lauded the efforts of police and firefighters.

"It's a relief for residents like me and the community," she said. "I know last year I had an incident right behind my house and it's a terrifying experience, but we're sleeping soundly now."

Firefighters have attended Neighborhood Board meetings and visited schools along the Leeward Coast, in Central O'ahu and in other areas of the island where large swaths of brush provide ample fuel for firebugs.

The message: Brushfires jeopardize lives, waste significant taxpayer-funded resources and hurt the environment.

Many of the fires last year burned on the Leeward Coast, and residents said they are glad that smoke, flames and snarled traffic have not been as big a problem this summer.

"Last year was an unusually high year," said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada, adding that it's too early to say whether this year's brushfire total will be lower than last year's. "We're encouraging people to stay aware because it's not time to let their guard down yet."

THREAT TO 'AINA

William Aila Jr. is a Hawaiian activist who has advocated for ways to reduce the fires on the Wai'anae Coast because they hurt the ecosystem.

"The bills pushed through are certainly having an impact on the (adults), who would be held more accountable if they were caught," said Aila, who is also Wai'anae harbormaster and Democratic candidate for governor. "And the community is doing a good job of calling in suspicious activity and going out and questioning people in areas where fires are common.

"Every time we have a fire and then a rain, all that soot washes down into the ocean and covers up the reef. There is a greater understanding among everyone that what happens on the mountain impacts down in the ocean."

HOT-SPOT WATCH

Police Maj. Mike Tamashiro, head of Honolulu Police Department's District 8, which includes the 'Ewa plains and the Leeward Coast, said the department directed officers specifically to monitor brushfire danger spots.

"My officers have been very diligent in their daily patrols of 'hot spots' or areas susceptible to fire," he said "We encourage them to check these areas as part of their daily duties, and I think these patrols have contributed to the decrease."

District 8 patrol officers made 10 brushfire-related arrests last year, but none so far this year.

Last year, Police Chief Boisse Correa, working with the Honolulu Fire Department, formed a task force made up of fire investigators, patrol officers in three districts susceptible to brushfires, and arson detectives with the department's criminal investigation division.

The task force, which was reconvened at the start of this summer, shares information, discusses trends and develops strategies to combat the problem.

ARSON ON THE BOOKS

Tamashiro also lauded two laws that went into effect July 1. One establishes the criminal offense of arson in various degrees, increases penalties and makes it a felony to deliberately set brushfires.

The second includes a provision requiring parents to pay the cost of fighting fires set by their children.

Previously, prosecutors have said, it was difficult to go after people who started brushfires because the law required the property burned to have some value, which brush does not.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.