Tre' Evans-Dumaran was a 24-year-old Maui firefighter who died after being swept into an uncovered storm drain during flooding in Kihei on January 27, 2023. He was pulled roughly 800 yards through the pipe before being expelled into the Pacific Ocean, and fellow firefighters later found him unresponsive 40 to 50 feet offshore.
Evans-Dumaran was rushed to Maui Memorial Medical Center, but he died on February 4, 2023, after spending days on a ventilator, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. A separate account from Civil Beat put the distance he was dragged underground at more than 1,350 feet through the Kūlanihākoʻi gulch drainpipe before he was expelled into the ocean.
The Star-Advertiser reports Evans-Dumaran was sucked into a 4-foot-wide drain while his crew worked to clear debris caught on a chain-link fence above the Kūlanihākoʻi storm drain, an operation aimed at keeping rising floodwaters from backing up into homes along Oluea Street, according to Civil Beat's reporting. There was no imminent danger to life or property at the time, according to allegations in the pending lawsuit his mother later filed.
State Investigators Found Training and Equipment Gaps
The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division investigated the January 27, 2023, flooding incident and found that Maui Fire Department personnel were not adequately trained in the dangers of flood incident response, per the investigation's April 2023 findings. State investigators also found that critical safety devices were not in place when the tragedy happened. The Maui News reported that a chain-link fence was the only barrier preventing personnel from falling into the storm drain channel, and that a protective drain grate cover was missing when firefighters were ordered to remove that fence.
Maui County was assessed $144,870 in penalties following the investigation, per the state findings cited by the Star-Advertiser. The lawsuit filed by Evans-Dumaran's mother, Chelsie Evans, against Maui County and her son's former captain in 2024 alleges that the captain did not take a full crew, that Evans-Dumaran lacked proper safety gear such as a flotation device, and that he should have been tied by rope to a fire truck. The lawsuit remains pending.
A Mother's Fight for Answers
Chelsie Evans has said it is possible her son never received swift-water rescue training at all. She has also said some firefighters reported being asked to sign off on training without actually completing it. Evans now advocates for training, tools, and guidance to help Hawaii firefighters operate safely during storms, and she wants more outside audits of training procedures for island firefighters.
The Star-Advertiser requested records about Evans-Dumaran's swift-water rescue training, but as of publication the paper says it is still awaiting a response to that records request. Maui County officials have referred questions about his training documentation to the county's public records process.
Department Leadership and a 'Boxcheckians' Critique
Greg Jenkins, a former Maui Fire Department captain and a plaintiff's witness in Evans' lawsuit, has conducted consulting and training work with fire departments in Hawaii and internationally. Jenkins said departmental leadership plays a critical role in preparing crews for evolving hazards, and he was blunt about what he sees as a failure among some officials, calling certain leaders “boxcheckians” who create programs that look good on paper but do not effectively prepare or equip firefighters.
Maui Fire Department spokesperson Christopher Stankis has said the department takes training seriously, describing training as a crucial part of safe and effective operations. Stankis said swift-water rescue gear enables risk assessment and appropriate rescue operations in flood areas, and that the department has equipped each fire company with that gear, which includes personal flotation devices, helmets, and flotation devices for people being rescued. Stankis also said the department added additional swift-water rescue training to its annual training program.
Statewide Push for a Sustainable Training Program
Maui Fire Department has taken steps in recent years to strengthen preparedness, and the broader Hawaii Fire Department reevaluated its swift-water training program after Evans-Dumaran's death, according to Hawaii Fire Department official Tom Callis. Before the tragedy, Hawaii Fire Department had only a fledgling swift-water program focused on rescue specialists, per Callis. The department has since sent a team of fire rescue specialists to California for swift-water technician certification, and certified swift-water technicians will instruct swift-water awareness and company-level swift-water operations, Callis said. The department has refocused on creating a robust and sustainable swift-water training program going forward.
A Foundation Built From Loss
Following her son's death, Chelsie Evans established the Live Like Tre' Foundation. In November 2024 the family launched a public petition requesting $12 million from Maui County to settle claims, with funds allocated toward firefighter safety equipment, a memorial, Evans-Dumaran's estate, and the foundation itself, according to Maui Now. That same reporting noted the Maui Fire Department issued immediate safety directives and updated flood response standard operating guidelines within three days of the January 2023 accident, ahead of the state's regulatory findings.
The foundation has since provided over $150,000 in direct financial assistance to firefighter families who lost homes during the August 2023 Maui wildfires, Maui Now reported. In August 2025, the foundation partnered with the Ho'omau Fire Academy on Maui to present cadet awards, including a “Courage to Speak” award meant to help young firefighters overcome hierarchical barriers and question unsafe orders. A community blood drive held in Evans-Dumaran's memory generated 611 donations for the Blood Bank of Hawaii, enough blood to potentially save up to 1,833 lives.
Before joining the Maui Fire Department, where he served for more than three years, Evans-Dumaran was a 2016 Hawaii high school state track champion in the 110-meter hurdles and had been working toward a commercial pilot's license, according to the Live Like Tre' Foundation.
The dangers inherent to swift-water operations are not unique to Hawaii. A September 2025 training exercise in Galveston, Texas, left two officers submerged and requiring emergency CPR and hospitalization after they lost their footing in moving water, Hoodline previously reported.
