California's wildfire technology sector finds an opportunity with Trump
This week, the firetech industry established a trade association aimed at advocating for improved procurement policies and increased funding.
TroibNews 
**SAN FRANCISCO** — In the climate conversation, one group isn't panicking about President-elect Donald Trump: California's tech entrepreneurs tackling the state's severe wildfire crises.
California's "tech bros" see a potential opportunity in a Trump 2.0, even as their climate-focused counterparts have found themselves at a standstill. “Maybe there's a little less focus on climate, whatever, but I think that the value proposition for fire technology will remain as strong as ever,” said Matt Weiner, the CEO of nonprofit advocacy group Megafire Action. “It's not one of those areas where the partisanship is fully baked.”
The fire technology sector has expanded rapidly over the past five years following the alarming orange smoke-filled skies that enveloped San Francisco. Companies offering drones, artificial intelligence, and smart grid software have found clients among utility providers like Pacific Gas & Electric, which seeks to prevent future bankruptcy-inducing fires, and Texas, which is now contemplating acquiring firefighting aircraft to combat unprecedented fires this year.
The industry's entrepreneurs have garnered interest from both sides of the aisle: Democrats focused on combating climate change and Republicans eager to promote private-sector solutions and protect rural communities from destruction.
Throughout the last year, a group of predominantly California-based CEOs has met with various members of Congress, including Rep. Scott Peters and Sen. John Boozman, who will play a pivotal role in forestry funding discussions for the upcoming Farm Bill as the Senate Agriculture Committee's lead Republican. They've also engaged with staff for Speaker Mike Johnson, who is on the brink of achieving his speakership in the next Congress.
To further their objectives, Weiner filed paperwork on Tuesday to establish a trade association for fire technology firms to advocate for more funding and improved procurement strategies at both state and federal levels. He introduced the Association for FireTech Innovation during the annual Red Sky Summit in San Francisco, an event that brought together start-up founders, firefighters, utility executives, and government officials.
Not everyone at the summit was quick to embrace the potential opportunities presented by Trump's rise; several entrepreneurs opted not to speak on the record due to their personal political alignments with liberal causes. Others expressed anxiety about Trump's intentions to possibly withhold federal assistance for California’s wildfire recovery, retract Biden’s climate expenditures, and dismantle government agencies, which could create instability for essential clients like the U.S. Forest Service.
However, some have started to adapt their messaging to engage Republicans. James Brooks, CEO of Fire Aside, which provides software for digitizing wildfire preparedness inspections, noted that meetings in D.C. shifted his approach. “The perception that we took away from a bunch of those meetings was that tax cuts will be a very important part of their agenda, so however we can position resilience-related work to be packaged into tax credits would be of interest,” he explained. With a potential Republican trifecta on the horizon, he has begun incorporating suggestions for tax credits for home-hardening within his software offerings.
His efficiency-oriented sales pitch is gaining traction in both red and blue districts, with Berkeley’s fire chief endorsing Fire Aside and stating that it reduced the time spent on follow-up questions post-inspections by 90 percent.
This message aligns with Trump, who recently appointed tech CEO Elon Musk to spearhead a new government efficiency review panel. Musk has connections to the firetech industry as well, with Muon Tech, one of the trade group's founding members, collaborating with Musk’s SpaceX to develop a network of climate-monitoring satellites.
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Thomas Evans for TROIB News
California's "tech bros" see a potential opportunity in a Trump 2.0, even as their climate-focused counterparts have found themselves at a standstill. “Maybe there's a little less focus on climate, whatever, but I think that the value proposition for fire technology will remain as strong as ever,” said Matt Weiner, the CEO of nonprofit advocacy group Megafire Action. “It's not one of those areas where the partisanship is fully baked.”
The fire technology sector has expanded rapidly over the past five years following the alarming orange smoke-filled skies that enveloped San Francisco. Companies offering drones, artificial intelligence, and smart grid software have found clients among utility providers like Pacific Gas & Electric, which seeks to prevent future bankruptcy-inducing fires, and Texas, which is now contemplating acquiring firefighting aircraft to combat unprecedented fires this year.
The industry's entrepreneurs have garnered interest from both sides of the aisle: Democrats focused on combating climate change and Republicans eager to promote private-sector solutions and protect rural communities from destruction.
Throughout the last year, a group of predominantly California-based CEOs has met with various members of Congress, including Rep. Scott Peters and Sen. John Boozman, who will play a pivotal role in forestry funding discussions for the upcoming Farm Bill as the Senate Agriculture Committee's lead Republican. They've also engaged with staff for Speaker Mike Johnson, who is on the brink of achieving his speakership in the next Congress.
To further their objectives, Weiner filed paperwork on Tuesday to establish a trade association for fire technology firms to advocate for more funding and improved procurement strategies at both state and federal levels. He introduced the Association for FireTech Innovation during the annual Red Sky Summit in San Francisco, an event that brought together start-up founders, firefighters, utility executives, and government officials.
Not everyone at the summit was quick to embrace the potential opportunities presented by Trump's rise; several entrepreneurs opted not to speak on the record due to their personal political alignments with liberal causes. Others expressed anxiety about Trump's intentions to possibly withhold federal assistance for California’s wildfire recovery, retract Biden’s climate expenditures, and dismantle government agencies, which could create instability for essential clients like the U.S. Forest Service.
However, some have started to adapt their messaging to engage Republicans. James Brooks, CEO of Fire Aside, which provides software for digitizing wildfire preparedness inspections, noted that meetings in D.C. shifted his approach. “The perception that we took away from a bunch of those meetings was that tax cuts will be a very important part of their agenda, so however we can position resilience-related work to be packaged into tax credits would be of interest,” he explained. With a potential Republican trifecta on the horizon, he has begun incorporating suggestions for tax credits for home-hardening within his software offerings.
His efficiency-oriented sales pitch is gaining traction in both red and blue districts, with Berkeley’s fire chief endorsing Fire Aside and stating that it reduced the time spent on follow-up questions post-inspections by 90 percent.
This message aligns with Trump, who recently appointed tech CEO Elon Musk to spearhead a new government efficiency review panel. Musk has connections to the firetech industry as well, with Muon Tech, one of the trade group's founding members, collaborating with Musk’s SpaceX to develop a network of climate-monitoring satellites.
If you appreciate this content, consider subscribing to PMG’s California Climate newsletter.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
