FireWERX
Catalyzing FireTech Innovation
FireWERX is empowering the Firefighter to end catastrophic wildfire impacts
The Wildfire Crisis: A Global Emergency
Wildfire Is No Longer Regional
It's a year-round global crisis. Wildfire today behaves like a fast-moving national security threat, yet our technology adoption cycles remain decades behind.
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Extreme wildfires have more than doubled in frequency and magnitude over two decades, with fast fires responsible for 80% of structures lost and 60% of suppression costs totaling $18.9 billion, for the US alone.
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The 2025 Los Angeles fires destroyed over 16,000 structures, claimed 31 lives, and became the most expensive wildfire disaster in
global history.
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Without systems-level change, these catastrophic wildfire events will continue.
"Too many firefighting technologies remain in a time warp dating back to the mid-twentieth century."
- 2023 Presidential Council report
The Innovation Gap
Technology stuck in the valley of death
Despite advances in AI detection, satellite monitoring, autonomy, and predictive modeling, promising FireTech is at threat of stalling or failing between pilot and operational adoption. FireWERX serves as the bridge the wildfire ecosystem has been missing, unifying firefighters, public agencies, innovators, policymakers, academics, and funders across the full wildfire management cycle.
Fragmented Agencies
Local, state, federal, and international agencies operate independently, creating costly barriers for innovators seeking end user input.
The Missing
Firefighter
Lack of co-development leads to technologists building products that do not align with firefighter needs.
Procurement
Barriers
Outdated procurement processes favor legacy systems over innovative solutions, stalling adoption.
Capacity
Constraints
Agencies lack resourced internal innovation programs that can adequately focus on sourcing, testing, piloting, and deploying FireTech.
The FireWERX Solution
FireWERX exists to close the gap between wildfire innovation and real-world adoption.
Built in collaboration with more than 80 leaders across the fire service, private companies, non-profits, government, and academia, FireWERX bridges innovators with frontline end users through structured, science-based, pilot-to-scale pathways. By embedding Fire Innovation Units (FIUs) within public agencies, activating real-world testbeds, and aligning capital, policy, and procurement, FireWERX de-risks adoption and accelerates deployment where it matters most. FireWERX focuses on four wildfire resilience priorities that represent the highest-leverage opportunities to reduce catastrophic wildfire impacts.
Early Detection & Fast Fire Suppression
Community Risk Reduction
Ecosystem & Landscape Scale Resilience
Ignition Reduction
The FireWERX Ecosystem
FireWERX
(Non-Profit Hub)
Central coordinating organization that connects innovators to agencies, soures technologies, develops pilot-to-scale pathways, accelerates solutions, and stewards capital.
Fire Innovation Units
(FIUs)
Operational entities within public agencies serving as the lasting home for technology adoption, across local, state, federal, and international agencies.
Advisory Council
Provides strategic guidance, sectoral expertise, and networked influence to advance the mission of FireWERX.
Innovation
Ecosystem
Academia, non-profits, policymakers, innovators and the private sector connected to meet end user needs through structured pathways.
Pilot-to-Scale Pathways
From Prototype to Deployment
FireWERX's flagship program systematically moves technologies from concept to widespread adoption through structured, science-based programs.
Pathways are anchored to a testing, validation, and certification framework, producing a repeatable playbook for durable innovation.
Identify Transformative Projects
FireWERX and FIUs translate end user defined needs into clearly scoped innovation priorities that filter for operational relevance and adoption potential.
01
Pilot Development
Selected projects move to pilots and capability evaluation exercises in simulated operational environments based on clearly defined evaluation frameworks.
02
Advanced Testing
Effective pilots advance to real-world testing in dedicated testbeds alongside end users, producing validated data, operational playbooks, and integration requirements.
03
Scale & Adopt
Proven technologies transition into sustained operational use across local, state, federal, and international agencies through aligned funding, rapid procurement, and policy support.
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Dedicated Testbeds
Operational and Digital Testbeds
Success hinges on structured, governed operational and digital environments where new wildfire technologies can be evaluated under real world conditions. These proving grounds validate innovation and foster a culture of disciplined adoption, turning end users into active co-developers of the tools needed for today’s wildfire resilience challenges.
FireWERX and the FIUs will establish and strategically leverage real-world and digital environments as a critical enabling space for Pilot-to-Scale Pathways.
Learning From Defense and Intelligence Innovation
FireWERX applies lessons from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), AFWERX, and In-Q-Tel - mission-driven innnovation programs that revolutionized defense and intelligence technology adoption through sourcing solutions, rapid prototyping, flexible contracting, co-development, and clear pathways to operational adoption.
"Wildfire management today is where defense was over a decade ago: facing mounting threats but hamstrung by fragmented bureaucracy. FireWERX applies the defense and intelligence tech paradigms to wildfire, treating it as a national security issue and mobilizing technology accordingly."
- Chris Anthony, Executive Director, FireWERX
The Path Forward
Building a Durable Innovation System (2026–2031)
FireWERX's strategy unfolds in three stages, establishing infrastructure, proving the model through pilots and the establishment of FIUs, and scaling to durable public agency programs.
2026:
Launch
Establish FireWERX governance, secure multi-year funding, launch Advisory Council, initiate projects in support of FIUs, and begin academic accelerators.
2027-2028:
Pilot & Iterate
Further expand pilot-to-scale pathways, establish testbeds, and advance pilots to scale. Create durable and funded frameworks for FIUs.
2029-2031:
Scale & Embed
Expand FIU model across local, state, federal, and international agencies. Document replicable playbook. Transition to predominantly public funding.
We Already Know What Needs To Be Done
FireWERX Makes It Possible
The wildfire crisis demands immediate action, not outdated tools or fragmented approaches. FireWERX builds the connective infrastructure to accelerate innovation, empowering Firefighters with technologies that measurably reduce catastrophic impacts.