Casey Dombrigues Becomes Firefighter
“I decided to become a firefighter when I felt like I needed to do more for the community, especially my community, to give back and protect not only the people that raised me, but the island, too,” said Casey Dombrigues. “It’s literally been on my mind for a few years.”
Casey officially began his career with the Maui County Fire Department on January 4, 2026. He is assigned to Station 8 on Lānaʻi, A Watch, under Captain Pacheco. His return to the island came quietly after six months of recruit training on Maui.
“People get surprised the way they see me or react to me, especially when I’m in uniform,” Casey said. “Even now, when I’m at the harbor, they say, ‘Eh, that’s Casey, yeah?’ and then, ‘How you? One firefighter now?’ They’re surprised, but they’re proud.”
That reaction, he said, came after months largely out of sight. “We kept it on the down low that I was trying to become a firefighter. I literally disappeared from the island for six months and came back a first responder.”
Before entering the fire service, Casey worked as a lead guide at Lānaʻi Adventure Park. He said the job helped prepare him physically for training.
“I always volunteered myself to do the bikes, the e-bikes, and I barely used any electric assist,” he said. “It helped out a lot, especially with the cardio parts.”
Preparation also meant returning to academic work after more than a decade. Casey, who graduated from Lānaʻi High & Elementary School in 2011, had to shake the rust off for the firefighter entrance exam.
“I renewed my library card,” he said, “I did some reading, got some books that prepped me for the exam. Once I saw the formulas and the reading comprehension, it all started coming back.”
Recruit training took place at the Joint Training Center in Kahului, with additional sessions held across Maui, including Maui High School’s track, Twin Falls, and Honokōhau. The program lasted six months.
“When we were doing certain disciplines, the week felt like a month,” Casey said. “But looking back at it now, the whole experience feels way shorter.”
During training, Casey lived on Maui, first in Kahana with family and later in Kahului with his wife, Dajia. He returned home regularly during the early months, then less frequently as training intensified.
Casey is one of only two firefighters from Lānaʻi currently serving on island. The other is Eric Baldeviso. “The kuleana part is the major part of the occupation,” Casey said. “The people we serve here are the people that make the community I was born and raised from.”
Casey hopes his path encourages others from Lānaʻi to consider the fire service. “I’ll try my best to spark interest in the generations to come,” he said. “The things I’ve learned these past months is an education for a lifetime.”
As he continues through his probationary period, Casey credits his support system for getting him through recruit training.
“My number one support was my wife, Dajia,” he said. “Along with both our families and everybody from home too. It’s a village. In this case, an island.”
