SAN FRANCISCO — In a move reflecting the expanding market for wildfire solutions, a coalition of startups specializing in wildfire preparedness and firefighting technologies announced the formation of a trade association on Tuesday. The Association of FireTech Innovation, unveiled at the Red Sky Summit wildfire conference in San Francisco, aims to lobby both federal and state governments for increased funding and more effective procurement policies for wildfire-related products and services.
The creation of this trade group underscores the growing importance of the fire technology sector as utilities and local governments grapple with the escalating costs and risks associated with increasingly destructive wildfires, exacerbated by climate change. The co-founders of this new association are Matt Weiner, the CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group Megafire Action, and Bill Clerico, the founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Convective Capital.
The founding members, who will contribute membership dues, include several prominent companies. These include Pano AI, which employs artificial intelligence and camera systems to detect the initial signs of wildfires; Gridware, a provider of software solutions designed to identify grid vulnerabilities for utilities; Fire Aside, which offers software to digitize and streamline the process of defensible space inspections; Muon Tech, which is preparing to launch satellites to aid in fire detection and monitoring; and Rain, a developer of firefighting drone technology.
According to Weiner, the idea for a trade group emerged from a lobbying trip to Washington, D.C. in July. During this trip, several company CEOs met with various members of Congress, including Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Representative Scott Peters (D-Calif.), to discuss the need for greater investment in and support of fire technology solutions.
