CalFire Leadership to End Wildfires

A proposal to channel new technology against the challenge of mitigating wildfires

In collaboration with Radius Capital and the Anthropocene Institute

The engine of innovation is strong in California. It is prepared to amplify small success into huge profitable world-changing success. Supplying a real test bed to generate small but real successes is needed to get from 0% to 1%.

The 2020 fire season, in numbers

3.3M+

Acres burned

4,000+

Structures destroyed

$130–150B

Estimated total damage, including weeks of economic disruption from unhealthy air quality

“Fires grow geometrically, meaning that after the first hours, extinguishing the fire becomes impractical and containment of the fire is a long, costly and dangerous undertaking.”

Relying on Federal leadership in aviation regulation has been a tradition, but is holding technology back and not serving California today.

The first minutes and hours of a new wildfire are critical. Fires grow geometrically, meaning that after the first hours, extinguishing the fire becomes impractical and containment of the fire is a long, costly and dangerous undertaking.

Increasing recent wildfire activity in California and the western U.S. has exposed and exacerbated this deficiency, with disastrous consequences.

With 3.3M+ acres burned, 4,000+ structures destroyed, and weeks of economic disruption due to widespread unhealthy air quality, the total damage is estimated to be $130-150B. Moreover, it is estimated that deaths from smoke related health complications will reach several thousand and continue to accumulate long after the fires have been put out.

Government firefighting resources are overwhelmed and this presents a serious threat to the public’s trust in the government’s ability to keep the public safe.

Related work

The Institute went on to sponsor a Michigan State University capstone team that built WRiFT, the Wildfire Risks Forecasting Tool, a simulator anyone can use to see how a wildfire might affect their community.