How elas and 4LEAF Partnered with Local Government to Deliver Smart, Scalable Fire Recovery Operations

The Challenge: Coordinating a Complex Rebuild After a Catastrophic Fire

In the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, local municipalities faced a daunting task: rapidly rebuilding thousands of structures, restoring essential infrastructure, and ensuring that recovery was done safely, equitably, and in compliance with state and federal regulations.

The scale of the destruction posed several key challenges:

· Overwhelmed Permitting Systems: Legacy tools and paper-based processes could not support the surge in permit requests.

· Limited Visibility and Accountability: Agencies had no centralized view of progress across departments.

· Delayed Field Inspections: Manual scheduling and fragmented workflows led to weeks-long backlogs.

· Staffing Gaps: Municipal teams were understaffed and under-resourced during peak demand.

· Community Confusion: Residents lacked clear pathways to check rebuild eligibility or permit status. Maui needed not just a stopgap—but a modern, end-to-end fire recovery system designed for scalability, speed, and transparency.

The Solution: A Purpose-Built Fire Recovery Platform

elas deployed a dedicated Fire Recovery Management System, working in tandem with 4LEAF and local agencies to tailor the platform for the specific needs of Maui’s recovery. The solution was built and operationalized in weeks—not months—and delivered immediate results across critical areas.

How elas Addressed Key Pain Points

1. Fragmented Permit Intake → Unified Digital Hub

Before: Multiple departments used siloed systems or paper forms for different phases of recovery (demolition, temporary housing, electrical reconnection, rebuilding).

After: elas implemented a centralized digital portal, enabling residents and contractors to apply, upload documents, and track progress in one place.

2. Manual Scheduling → AI-Powered Workflow Engine

Before: Agencies used spreadsheets and phone calls to assign inspections, often leading to inefficiencies and gaps.

After: elas introduced intelligent task routing, automatically assigning inspections based on inspector availability, geography, and specialty—dramatically reducing scheduling bottlenecks.

3. No Field Visibility → Mobile-Enabled Field Tools

Before: Inspectors submitted handwritten notes and photos manually, slowing documentation.

After: 4LEAF inspectors were equipped with a mobile app, enabling real-time uploads of field reports, images, and signatures, even offline.

4. Limited Oversight → Real-Time Leadership Dashboards

Before: Leadership struggled to track recovery KPIs across departments.

After: Live dashboards showed permit status, inspector load, rebuild progress by zone, and SLA compliance—all updated in real-time.

5. Staffing Chaos → Streamlined Staff Augmentation

Before: Ad hoc communications between agencies and staffing partners led to delays in placing skilled personnel.

After: elas built a custom staffing module for 4LEAF, providing full visibility into inspector deployments, availability, and qualifications across jurisdictions.

Collaboration Model: elas, 4LEAF, and Local Agencies

elas served as the technology lead, configuring and deploying the Fire Recovery System platform.

4LEAF brought decades of staffing expertise and served as the primary provider of building inspectors, permit techs, and planners on the ground.

Local municipalities guided the policy, permitting rules, and recovery phases—and provided critical on-the-ground feedback to refine the system in real-time.

This tri-party collaboration enabled fast decision-making, adaptive deployment, and community-centered innovation.

Impact Summary: Measurable Results in Maui

· 2,300+ rebuild applications processed in the first 90 days

· 50%+ reduction in permit turnaround time

· Field inspection backlog cleared within 72 hours of full deployment

· 70% fewer community inquiries, due to public-facing dashboards

· Real-time insight into rebuild progress, bottlenecks, and resource allocation

Looking Ahead

The Fire Recovery System deployed in Maui is now being evaluated as a model for future natural disaster response programs across the western United States. It demonstrates how digital transformation, when implemented with the right expertise and collaborative spirit, can help governments rebuild not only faster—but smarter.